Day and Night
by shanejayell
Summary: Demona centric fic! In the aftermath of setbacks Demona regroups, but finds a new complication in her plans.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from Gargoyles, they all belong to Disney.

Gargoyles: Day and Night

The red haired, violet skinned gargoyle gracefully landed on the roof of the Manhattan townhouse, her eyes narrowed a bit as the sky began to noticably lighten. "It's nearly dawn," she murmured as she pulled her wings in around her like a cloak and opened up the window, climbing into the attic.

As the first rays of dawn came Demona gave a strangled cry of agony as she began to change. Her pointed ears pulled in, skin lightening to a healthy pink even as her wings shriveled and shrank away. In moments she was left gasping, leaning up against the wall fully human as the pain slowly faded away.

"Blast that Puck," the still redheaded but human Demona muttered as she walked to the ladder down from the attic, "does the change have to hurt so damn much?" As she climbed down the ladder and walked to her room, Demona once again mused on the idea of trying some kind of narcotic for the pain. 'No,' she mused as she calmly stripped off her loin cloth and crude top, 'I doubt it would effect me as a gargoyle anyway.'

Stepping into the bathroom connected to her room Demona turned on the shower, noting it was one of the few inventions by humans she approved of. Hot water blasted pain-sweat away and she lathered up her hair, careful to remove any traces of the night's traveling. Emerging from the shower she toweled herself off, then strode into the bedroom to dress.

In a few minutes the identity that Demona presented to the outside world was ready to go, and right on time business woman Dominique Destine left her home to a waiting limo. "Miss Destine," her executive assistant respectfully nodded as Demona climbed in, her blonde hair gleaming, "good morning."

"Alicia," Demona smiled slightly as the door closed and the limo soundlessly glided into New York traffic.

Alicia Sevarius was one of those unique little bonuses that sometimes just fall into one's lap. The relative of Anton Sevarius, the radical genetisist and mad scientist, she had come to Demona's attention during her first attempts to work with the scientist. She had a skill set that Demona appreciated, and even better she was potentially a useful lever to induce Sevarius to work for her in the future. Even more oddly Demona found herself liking this young lady, almost as much as she had once liked MacBeth. It was a annoying emotion, but one she was doing her best to cope with.

"Your schedule is as full as ever," Alicia said as she gracefully pulled out a Cyberbiotics brand PDA from her dress jacket pocket and tapped the touch screen to call up the list, "there's a meeting with Xanatos enterprises regarding the Oberon situation, representatives of the European branch of Cyberbiotics are here investigating a possible alliance and the private investigator that you hired will be in this afternoon."

"Thank you, Alicia," Demona nodded. Thinking a moment she said, "I'll see Xanatos' man first, then contact the investigator. Cyberbiotics just flew over?"

"They arrived last night," Alicia confirmed.

"They're probably jet lagged," Demona said, once more amused by humanity's general weakness, "phone and confirm when they want to meet. I'd bet this afternoon."

"Got it," Alicia made a note.

Occasionally Demona wondered what Alicia thought of her strange employer, but she usual dismissed such questions. So far her primary concern was keeping Alicia loyal but partially in the dark, a complex task considering Alicia was her right hand. Often Demona wished for a employee like Owen Burnett or Preston Vogel, but on the other hand the sheer amorality of both men made her value Alicia's honesty, even if it made things difficult at times.

The limo pulled up in front of the building housing Nightstone Unlimited and parked, the young driver jumping out so that he could get the door for them. "Thank you," Demona said, having reminded herself more than once to use standard human courtesies.

The upper levels gleamed as Demona strode through the lobby of the company, the stylish young man at the front desk nodding, "Good morning, Ms Destine."

"Morning," Demona nodded as she and Alicia strode into her office. She took off her suit coat, revealing her simple dress and white blouse and hung up the coat by the door. Sitting behind her desk she reviewed the newest documents in her in box as she asked, "Any progress on repairing the statue I recovered?"

"We're bringing in some experts on primitive sculpture from Europe using our contacts with Cyberbiotics," Alicia said, "as you've expressed reluctance to bring in the New York University staff."

"Yes," Demona nearly snarled but restrained herself.

The New York University was a major force in antiquities of all types, and normally Demona would have been glad for the help. However, the current head of the department was one Lennox MacDuff, whom she had known as MacBeth, the timeless adversary who had hunted her through the ages for their mutual betrayal.

"The praying gargoyle statue," Alicia looked curious, "it's that valuable?"

"No," Demona said after a moments reflection, "it just has a certain sentimental value."

Alicia nodded, "I understand."

'I rather doubt you do,' Demona thought wryly. Aloud she said briskly, "I'd best prepare for the Xanatos meeting, please see that I'm not disturbed."

"Yes ma'am," Alicia said respectfully before heading out the door.

Demona sat back as she enjoyed the privacy of her office, considering the recent events in her life. The return of the Hunters and the outing of New York's Gargoyles were both matters of concern, as was the infiltration of her company by that bitch, Robyn. Already she had ordered password changes throughout the company, and her investigator was tracking down any bombs hidden in the mainframes. It was slow going, but she was not risking a crippling computer attack from a determined advesary.

The Gargoyles were another problem. Goliath seemed persistantly blind to the treachery these humans could inflict, and his unwavering defence of them made him her enemy. Worse, he had her daughter Angela in his clutches, poisoning her mind to anything she said. Freeing her would require time and patience, neither of which were her forte.

The final item on her agenda, the annoying humans, would have to be tabled for a time. The praying gargoyle statue was necessary in her enchantment to protect their kind, without it any attempt to eliminate the humans with a bioweapon was far too dangerous. As well, there was the half human gargoyle Delilah to consider. As much as she loathed the idea of her DNA being mixed with that bitch Elisa Maza, the clone was blood kin, and could potentially be useful. She had to be sure any attack on humanity spared her, too.

"Miss," Alicia's voice came over the intercom, "your appointment with Xanatos Enterprises is here." She paused before adding softly, "It's him!"

"Send Mr. Xanatos in."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Alicia Sevarius smiled up at David Xanatos, feeling oddly chilled despite his handsome appearance. "Please, go right in," she said to the brown haired man in the expensive suit.

"Thank you, my dear," David Xanatos gave her a polite nod, his voice nearly oozing charm before heading into Ms. Dustine's office.

"Brrr," Alicia shivered a bit.

Returning to her work Alicia tried to focus on the details of the upcoming meeting with Cyberbiotics, but her employer's lovely face seemed to intrude on her thoughts. She admired Ms. Destine greatly, of course, but she was growing concerned that her feelings for her employer were growing into something more.

'Which is impossible,' Alicia reminded herself firmly.

Dominique Destine was a powerful and dynamic woman, both incredibly wealthy and attractive. More than one man and a few women too had looked to court her, possibly to gain access to her power or riches, but Dominique had rebuffed them all. At work she maintained a careful distance too, being politely friendly with her employees but not letting anyone too close.

'Like me,' Alicia sighed. Her various attempts to be closer to Dominique had all failed, and she had reluctantly accepted that the other woman was simply not interested in being friends.

Soon the day began to rush forwards like most days, calls and appointments keeping them busy as time passed. Soon the evening came, and like most days Nightstone began to shut down as the sun lowered in the sky. It was a odd quirk of Dominique's that their New York office always close before sundown, but most of the staff had gradually accepted it.

Cleaning up her desk Alicia rose, walking over to the boss' office door and knocking as she called, "Miss Destine?"

"Come in," Dominique answered.

As Alicia opened the door she saw the other woman gazing out over the city, her eyes drawn to the massive Aerie building of Xanatos'. Her red hair flowed freely, her clothes flapping gently from the breeze and she looked mysterious and beautiful in the reddish glow of the evening sun.

"I'm going now," Alicia said quietly, "is there anything I can do before I go?"

Dominique turned, her eyes almost looking like they were glowing red in the light. "That's fine," she said, "and take the limo home, if you wish. I have a evening appointment I have to keep."

Knowing if would be foolish to offer to stay, Alicia just nodded. "I think I'll walk home," she answered, "it's still warm out."

"Be careful," Dominique said briskly, "you never know what's wandering the night."

"Yes, ma'am," Alicia said, turning and leaving. The sun had fully set by the time Alicia had left the building, talking to the security guys as they locked up the main entrance. Bundling her coat around her Alicia headed out, mentally planning her evening. First she would get dinner at that nice little café, them maybe see a show...

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Demona stretched her wings, glad once more to have abandoned her human form for her true gargoyle shape. With a single sweep of her wings she glided from the roof of the Nightstone headquarters, soaring on warm currents of air as she watched humanity below her.

As fast as a limo could go, a gargoyle could soar much faster if the conditions were right. With ease Demona soared above the streets, wondering with some amusement how the humans might react to seeing her. 'Likely wet themselves with fear,' she silently mused.

A flash of gold caught her eyes and Demona smiled, recognizing Alicia as she strode along a empty street. Alighting on a nearby roof she watched her, taking in the girl in these different circumstances. Compared to a gargoyle female Alicia was scrawny and weak, yet there was a certain glow of vitality about her, a kind of beauty.

As a figure began to follow Alicia Demona tensed, a growl starting in the back of her throat. 'Little fool,' she thought as she took to wing to follow, 'does she not see him?' Apparently not, for Alicia walked on obliviously.

Alicia turned to a street nearby her home and Demona clenched her teeth, seeing how dark and deserted it was. Soaring down she hovered above, her first instinct to sweep Alicia to safety. 'What am I doing?' she wondered, 'I'm not like Goliath and those other weaklings. I don't protect these human vermin!'

Yet as the man moved up to grab Alicia, Demona moved. "Eeek!" Alica squealed as she was grabbed from behind, then suddenly was released as the man screamed in shock.

With deceptive ease Demona hefted the mugger, looking him right into the eye as she hissed, "This street is under my protection, scum." With that she hammered him into the wall, blood splattering as his nose broke and he fell unconscious to the ground.

"You..." Alicia stammered, gazing at her in shock under the weak street lamp's light.

Dropping her voice a bit Demona gruffly asked, "Are you all right?"

"You're beautiful," Alicia breathed out before fainting dead away.

'Not the reaction I was expecting,' Demona admitted.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"It was incredible," Alicia raved as they rode together in the limo the next morning, "I was sure I was dead, but then she saved me!"

"And you're certain she was a gargoyle?" Dominique asked, hiding a smile.

"I may not have gotten a long look, but yes," Alicia agreed. She frowned, "She was lovely, too... with hair nearly as red as yours, but dark blueish skin and purple wings." She sighed, "I just wish I hadn't fainted."

"Well," Dominique said, "maybe you'll see her again." A sudden smile, "Maybe you've even acquired yourself a guardian angel."

End...?

Notes: I've always had a fondness for Demona, despite her many flaws. She remains incapable of seeing that most of the bad stuff that has happened around her has been her own fault...


	2. Chapter 2

Gargoyles: Day and Night

Two

The stately manor that stood not far from New York city could almost be called a castle, the turrets and silouette looking almost like something lifted from a bygone age. Within a grey haired man sat at his desk in his library, studying certain documents as he gently stroked his neatly trimmed beard.

"Mr Macduff," the rather seedy looking investigator handed over the files, "here's my report on Ms. Destine's activities."

"Thank you, Mr. Cheung," Macbeth nodded, taking the documents. He smiled slightly, "Is this a new face?"

Terry Cheung nodded as the black haired young man pointed to a picture, "Her name is Alicia Sevarius." He smiled grimly, "Yes, related to the infamous Anton Sevarius. I think Ms. Destine may have... plans for her?"

"A lever for access to Anton's technology?" Macbeth mused aloud as he rose, his long coat flowing around him, "Or something else?"

"It also seems that Destine has broken from her usual pattern of behavior with this assistant," Terry noted.

"Oh?" Macbeth looked curious.

"Taking her out to lunch and occasionally breakfast," Terry checked his notes, "I can't think of any assistant she socialized with before."

"Dominique never shows such weakness," Macbeth shook his head, "you can be sure she has something else in mind for the girl."

"Well," Terry said briskly, "that finishes my report."

"Take the envelope on my desk," Macbeth said as he stood by the window, "your pay and a bonus is within." As the man collected his pay and hurried off Macbeth looked thoughtful, "However, whatever Demona is up to, I may be able to use the distraction to my advantage..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Mrs Xanatos," Alicia rose from her desk as she respectfully greeted the striking orange haired woman, "Is Ms Destine expecting...?"

"Call me Fox, please," Fox smiled, her expression remarkably gentle, even with the blue fox head tattoo over her eye, "whenever I hear Mrs Xanatos I look for David's mother."

"Fox, then," Alicia smiled slightly as she continued to firmly ask, "do you have a appointment, ma'am?" With that she moved in Fox's way, meeting the woman's steely glance with one of her own.

"You're pretty good at guarding your mistress' sanctuary," Fox noted after a moment, "most assistants would be bowled over." She smiled suddenly, "Want a job? I bet I can match anything she'd offer..."

"No, thanks I..." Alicia started.

"Stop trying to poach my staff, Fox," Dominique said firmly, the redhead emerging from her office with a forceful stride. "Thanks for handling her until I finished the teleconference," she smiled at Alicia before facing Fox, "I'll see you now."

"Keep my offer in mind," Fox said as she strode by, her black business wear hugging her shapely body.

Within the office Dominique firmly shut the sound proofed door as she said coldly, "What do you and Xanatos want?"

Fox sat down uninvited, the woman's manner suddenly going from near flirtatious to serious. "As you no doubt know Demona, David and I have established a truce with the Manhattan Gargoyle clan," she began.

Demona narrowed her eyes a bit as she agreed, "Since Goliath helped fight off Oberon and save your son."

"Precisely," Fox nodded. She smiled wryly, "I'm even trying to win back Lexington's trust, though it's been hard..."

Demona cut her off as she forcefully asked her, "What does this all have to do with me?"

Fox's expression remained mild as she said, "Two things, then. Firstly, we will be VERY upset if you attempt any kind of hostile action against the gargoyles or their home, second, we would strongly urge you to cease your feud with the clan, too."

"Are you insane?" Demona growled, "Goliath and his clan are my enemies!"

"Do you know how many gargoyles there are left?" Fox asked suddenly. Not waiting for a answer she continued, "David has been looking... so far all he has found have been clans in London, South America and here."

"Your point?" Demona asked.

"How many gargoyles do you need for a breeding population? How many can you lose before inbreeding kills your kind?" Fox asked seriously, "You could be over the limit already, and you cannot afford to lose any more."

Demona sat back, her expression troubled as she said, "I'll... consider it."

Fox left quietly, the young woman stopping to thank Alicia before heading back to Xanatos' Aerie. Giving her employer a few moments Alicia went for some coffee, then knocked on the still closed door as she called, "Ma'am, would you like a coffee?"

Demona was startled from her grim thoughts, sitting up as she brought her expressions under control. "Come in," she called, watching with some amusement as Alicia used her shapely hip to force the door open then carried in the cup and a plate of cinnamon rolls.

"I brought you a snack," Alicia added as she sat the rolls down. On one of their recent lunch trips Alicia had gotten her boss to try the sweet treats, and Dominique had discovered she liked them a lot.

"My greatest weakness," Dominique smiled wryly as she grabbed one, taking a bite and savoring the flavor.

"You looked rather grim when I came in," Alicia said after a moment, perching on the edge of her desk, "did Mrs. Xanatos upset you?"

"Something like that," Dominique conceded, debating what to tell the girl. "Some old family business she needed to bring up."

"I'm sorry," Alicia said gently, reaching out and putting a hand over Dominique's.

Demona felt a odd thrill as Alicia touched her, startled by the sensation of skin on skin. For years she had known only blows, then recently felt the false touches of fake love from both Thailog and Macbeth. This was different, a sweeter feeling as the girl looked up so innocently into her eyes.

"Ma'am?" Alicia drew back her hand nervously.

Gracefully Dominique reached out, cradling those fingers in her own. "It's all right," she smiled, "in fact, I just had a idea. How's my schedule for this afternoon?"

"Fairly light," Alicia rummaged through her memory, "only a meeting with a Pack Studios representative on our participation in Pack 2.0."

"Then let's grab some lunch," Dominique grinned, "you can tell me more about that Gargoyle you seem so hung up about."

Alicia blushed as she hopped down from her seat on the side of the desk and followed her boss, "I am NOT hung up." She paused, "I admire her, though..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Macbeth watched covertly as the two women left Nightstone enterprises, using a device similar to a directional microphone to listen to them talk. He followed through a cheerful lunch, listening with a perplexed expression as they chatted cheerfully and Demona showed no signs of her usual hatred of men.

'Well, except when the waiter tried to flirt with her companion,' Macbeth thought as he drank a coffee in a nearby café.

Macbeth recalled his own romance with 'Dominique' and had to admit their conversation had never been as relaxed as these two's. Dominique seemed to hang on Alicia's words, while the smaller blonde seemed deeply taken of her companion. They almost reminded him of long lost soulmates, reunited once more.

'I don't know what's going on,' Macbeth conceded, 'but it clearly isn't one of Demona's usual plots.' Silently he resolved to keep monitoring the situation... if Demona reverted to type, he'd act. Otherwise, he'd just wait and see.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Gargoyles: Day and Night

Three

Goliath stood atop the stone walls of the castle, his handsome face thoughtful as he looked out over the clouds high above New York. At times he still found it strange, living in this era, but he had gradually come to adapt to it's many changes.

Hearing a movement nearby he turned slightly, his lips lifting in a slight smile of welcome. A smiling Eliza Maza walked along the battlements, looking rather out of place dressed in her modern street clothes. Still, she was a familiar sight to Goliath as well as a good friend to him and his clan.

"I didn't notice the others," Eliza noted, her long black hair fluttering in the breeze as she zipped up her jacket, "are they out on patrol?"

"Hudson is leading them tonight," Goliath acknowledged, "I'm hearing rumblings of a new Pack." He shrugged slightly as he confessed, "I'd like to trust that Xanatos' intentions are good, but our experience says otherwise."

"I'm not his biggest fan, either," Eliza agreed wryly. They stood together a moment, looking out over the city as she added, "I had a talk with Owen, too."

"Oh?" Goliath raised a eyebrow questioningly. Owen was Xanatos' primary employee and second in command, in charge of handling many of his company's day to day affairs. He was also Puck, a son of Oberon and a being of power himself as Goliath and the others had discovered to their regret.

Eliza smiled as she explained, "Apparently Fox went to see Demona. She's hoping to broker a truce between her and the clan."

Goliath looked down at her in surprise. "I'd like that," he conceded, "but would she really be willing to?"

"It's worth a shot, I think," Eliza grimaced slightly as she added wryly, "as long as it isn't me getting shot." Demona had sensed the closeness between Eliza and Goliath almost as soon as they met, and her jealous rage had nearly killed Eliza several times. Any peace between them would have to deal with that, too.

"She will not harm you," Goliath vowed. "That, I promise you."

"Thanks, big guy," Eliza smiled back. Moving closer she gently tugged him down into a lingering kiss. Pulling back only reluctantly she sighed, "Gotta go. I'm on shift in a hour."

"Be safe," Goliath sighed as he watched her walk away.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Demona sighed happily as she crouched on top of the townhouse, her wings pulled in close to her body. It was such a relief to shed her human form and return to her true identity as a gargoyle. It felt better than shedding the business suits she wore during the day, and even better than those cinnamon treats that Alicia so liked to tempt her with.

'Alicia,' Demona bit back a surge of irritation at herself. Back in her gargoyle form less that a half hour and she already found her thoughts turning to the young woman/ She should be focusing on other matters, but somehow the girl intruded on her thoughts.

And in truth, Demona had something very serious to consider. Fox Xanatos' visit had raised difficult questions for Demona, ones that made her examine her decisions more harshly than before. If she was truly committed to saving the gargoyle race, then their declining numbers meant she could no longer risk harming Goliath and the others. There were too few of their kind left as it was, they could not risk losing more.

With a soft snarl of frustration Demona extended her bat-like wings, thrusting powerfully with her legs and throwing herself up into the air. Her wings caught a updraft from the street below and she glided away, soaring on the warm winds of the city. With a almost supernatural ease she soared through the city's steel and concrete canyons, navigating the air currents with the skill of long practice.

A scuffle in a alleyway caught her eye, and Demona hesitated for a moment. 'Well,' she mused as she shifted course, 'I could use a bit of exercise....' With a roar she swept down, making the mugger leap back in alarm as she dove at him.

With a shaking hand he pointed the gun at her as he yelped, "Stay back!"

Before he could fire the gun Demona was upon him, slapping the weapon right out of the smelly man's hands. His battered clothing hung on a thin frame, and his eyes were wild on some kind of drug as he turned to try and run. 'No challenge,' Demona sighed, casually knocking him out with a single blow.

"Well, lass," a surprisingly familiar voice drawled from up the alley, "This is not what I'd be expecting you to do." Demona turned as she faced Hudson, the old gargoyle looking at her thoughtfully, stroking his grey beard. Once the leader of their clan he had stepped down in Goliath's favor, becoming a trusted advisor.

"Don't read too much into it," Demona said to him flatly, "I was just out looking for something to do."

Hudson nodded gravely, his mostly bald head glinting in the street lights. "Aye, I see," he said as the mugger's victim gawked at them a moment before fleeing the scene as fast as his feet would take him.

'Your welcome,' Demona thought wryly.

Hudson tilted his head to the side as he asked her casually, "And will we be fighting tonight?"

"No," Demona smiled back slightly, "I have no feud with you tonight, old gargoyle." She looked curious, "And where are the others?"

"Looking into something for me," Hudson shrugged.

'He doesn't trust me,' Demona thought, 'not that I can blame him for that.' Quite deliberately she turned her back to him and began climbing the brick wall, digging her talons in for a better grip, "Good luck, then."

"An' to you," Hudson nodded as he left.

Standing on top of the building and watching him go part of Demona was tempted to follow him, but as she stood there she firmly quashed that instinct. If she wanted to maintain the peace between herself and Goliath's clan, she needed to avoid antagonizing them. She thought for a moment of her daughter, Angela, then firmly quashed that emotion. She hadn't raised Angela, in truth she barely knew her....

Casting aside useless consideration Demona took off once more, letting warm winds carry her up through the air. She wanted to fly randomly, to simply soar over the city blindly, but without thinking about it she felt herself soaring down familiar roads to perch nearby her home.

Alicia Sevarius moved about her apartment, the beautiful blonde smiling happily as the bathrobe swirled around her. Her hair was damp from having been recently washed, and her movements had a cheery bounce to them. She carried a carton of Chinese take-out to a couch and plopped down, eating as she watched something on TV.

'She's cute,' Demona thought with amusement from where she crouched, gazing in at a life very different than her's. She had rarely worn anything so casual, not to mention having never tried take-out food. 'I wonder, would I understand humans better if I did?' she thought to herself mockingly.

As Alicia turned in her seat she froze, her eyes widening. She walked up to the window, and Demona felt a sinking feeling as she realized the woman was staring right at her. 'She's spotted me?!' Demona nearly panicked.

Alicia pushed open the screen door and stood on her porch, beckoning to Demona to come down. "I wanted to thank you," she called.

Demona hesitated, knowing the wisest course would be to simply fly away. Still, she extended her wings and soared down across the gap between the buildings, carefully landing nearby her. "You're welcome," Demona answered, glad that her voice was a bit grittier in her gargoyle form.

Alicia looked up at her, the blonde smiling slightly. "I never really thought you'd come over," she confessed. She laughed suddenly, "I've spent days thinking of what to say to you, but now my mind is blank."

Demona had to smile, careful not to expose her fangs too much. "I'm not too used to talking to humans, too," she conceded, realizing it was true. The last human person she had talked to in this form had been that damned Maza.

Alicia smiled, "Do you want to come in?"

Demona knew she should say no, that just being here talking to her was a bad idea. Yet surprisingly she answered, "I'd like that."

To be continued!


	4. Chapter 4

Day and Night

Four

Dominique Destine looked with a degree of amusement as her assistant poured the coffee, overfilling the fine china cup and spilling dark fluid onto the desk. "I think you can stop pouring now," she told her assistant mildly.

"Huh?" Alicia Sevarius blinked, the blonde roused from her daze. "Oh no!" she yelped, swinging the pot onto a tray as she hurried to grab some towels. "I'm so sorry!" the frantic young woman fretted as she mopped up the mess.

Dominique had to fight back a laugh at her usually cool and composed helper. "It's all right," she smiled warmly as the blushing woman tidied up, "but what has you so distracted?"

Alicia blushed charmingly as she finished cleaning. "That gargoyle I told you about, the one that helped me?" Alicia said excitedly, "She visited my home!"

Demona listened with some amusement as the young lady gushed over her. She rather liked hearing herself described as a 'noble beauty' and having 'striking eyes,' at least from Alicia's point of view. If Demona was going to be honest she rather thought the night's visit was the most fun she had had in years.

"She was just... incredible! I hope she comes by again," Alicia ran down.

Demona drank a bit of her coffee, savoring the taste. "And you weren't frightened?" she felt she had to ask her.

Alicia looked at her in surprise, "No, not at all. I knew she wouldn't hurt me."

"Everyone can hurt another," Demona murmured, struck by her past action.

"Hmm?" Alicia looked at her in surprise.

Quelling her memories she focused on adopting her Dominique persona as she briskly said, "Well, I'm glad things worked out well."

"Yes, they did," Alicia smiled back. Shaking herself she tried to focus on business, "Sorry for being so scattered, I have your schedule here."

"Hit me," Dominique teased, her slips curling in a smile.

Alicia giggles as she murmured, "It's not that bad, today."

The two women ran through the schedule, one with fewer captains of industry than other days but with a greater amount of small details to handle. Alicia smoothly suggested possible choices for refreshments for a few guests as well as providing Dominique some reminders of quirks and personality traits those people might have.

"And Suzumiya is a womanizer, is he?" Dominique noted wryly, considering unbuttoning her blouse a bit to gain a negotiating advantage.

"Yes, she is," Alicia stressed the gender. As Dominique looked at her questioningly she continued, "The head of Labyrinth Security tends to have a new pretty lady on her arm every week. I haven't heard any rumors that she takes it seriously."

"I'll keep it in mind," Dominique agreed as she finished writing up some personal notes. "Thanks for the reminders," she added.

Alicia bowed slightly as she headed to the outer desk, "You're welcome, ma'am."

Alicia felt a stir of pleasure as she felt Demona's office. 'If I was a puppy I'd be wagging my tail,' she admitted as she sat down behind her desk. One of the innovations Alicia had started at the office was keeping small, summary reports on the business people they regularly dealt with, to be used to remind Miss Destine as needed. While Alicia suspected that Dominique had a fine memory, the reminder sheets helped flesh out a guest if needed.

The upper floor office had one whole side that was just clear, made out of a combination of super tough glass and plastics, offering an incredible view. It was a casual gift given by Miss Destine, given without any expectation of thanks or any other reaction. Alicia often found herself taking in the view, though today she found herself wondering where the mysterious Gargoyle was, during the days.

'Focus on business,' Alicia scolded herself, going back to business as she began to go through the morning's daily calls. Nightstone had many business partners, and all seemed to want a piece of their mysterious leader.

"Yes sir," Alicia said, "I know you are the North American head of the Lagoon trading company, but I can't put you through to Miss Dustine."

"But it's vital I speak with her!" the man demanded arrogantly.

Alicia wondered if the man could guess how often she heard that matters were vital and that the caller had to talk to Dominique now. "Sir, I will take your message and pass it along to the manager. Now, can I have your name and number?" she asked politely.

"Very well," he growled out, clearly unhappy.

Alicia sighed as she recorded the information, then spent several minutes talking to the switch board wondering why a small courier company would even be put through to the president's level. 'Apparently someone got taken in by the title, not the company,' she noted with a sigh.

"Alicia," Dominique's voice came over the intercom, "I think Suzumiya is on her way up. If you want, you can go on break."

"She isn't that bad, is she?" Alicia had to ask, having only her predecessors notes as a guide.

"No, from what I remember she's worse," Dominique said dryly as the elevator chimed. "Crap, that's probably her," she said as she walked through the door to the outer office.

The elevator doors opened and a brown haired Asian woman strode in, followed by two others. The gray haired woman had the most remote expression oh her face that Alicia had ever seen, pecking at a minaturized notebook computer coolly. The other woman wore a sexy black dress, short enough to show legs and low cut to highlight impressive breasts. She also looked rather miserable, despite being rather cute.

"Miss Destine," the leading woman declared, "I'm Haruhi."

"Dominique," she nodded politely, looking at the two other women questioningly.

"My secretary, Yuki," Haruhi waved to the gray haired girl then over to the sexy one, "and the eye candy is Mikuru."

Dominique's eyes narrowed a bit at that description, but she replied calmly, "This is my executive assistant, Alicia."

"Ma'am," Alicia nodded, feeling more than a bit disturbed by how the woman was looking her over like a side of beef.

"She's a cutey," Haruhi noted cheerfully, "must be awfully convenient having her here."

Dominique voice dropped dangerously, "We do not have that kind of relationship."

"You don't?!" Haruhi looked startled, "Then why hire a blond like...."

Before Haruhi could complete the blond joke Dominique had slammed her up against the wall, shocking everyone in the room. "If you insult my employee," she said flatly as she held the woman by the collar of her shirt, "I will not be responsible for my actions."

Haruhi gulped visibly then managed a weak smile. "It appears I jumped to conclusions," she said diplomatically, "can we start over?"

Dominique let her go, nodding stiffly. "That would be a good idea," she agreed as she lead the woman into the office, leaving Alicia alone with the other two women.

"Uhm," Alicia looked at the strange women, "Can I get you some coffee?"

"Please," Yuki said calmly.

Mikuru smiled weakly as she sat down on the couch against one wall, "Miss Suzumiya really isn't all that bad."

"Yes she is," Yuki noted flatly.

"Well, yes she is," Mikuru admitted.

To be continued....

Notes: Haruhi, Yuki and Mikuru are from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I needed a 'playgirl' character and was too lazy to make up one out of whole cloth. This Haruhi is one who never met Kyon and therefore never evoled out of being a self centered jerk.


	5. Interlude: Macbeth and Xanatos

Day and Night

Five

The hit team were good, in fact in some parts of the world they might be considered the best. They approached the castle like home warily, their weapons at the ready as they smoothly evaded the exterior contacts, quickly reaching the outer wall.

The red headed team leader looked at his two special operatives and shuddered slightly. Hyena and Jackal had willingly exchanged flesh and blood for steel, twisting their bodies almost as much as their minds. He didn't trust either as far as he could throw them, but he needed their abilities.

"Is everyone clear on the plan?" Jonothan Canmore asked bluntly, looking over his five man team as they crouched in the shadows.

"Jackal and I go in first," Hyena smirked, "and draw fire from security until you cut out the system." She buffed her steel nails, "Then the rest of you go grab Lennox MacDuff."

"Alive," Jonothan reminded his team, "we can't ransom him if we don't get him alive."

"It'll slow us down," Kirika noted, the Japanese woman calmly checking over her weapon. She was quite possibly the most calm, detached shooter that Jonothan had ever met. Honestly, she gave him the willies almost as much as Jackel and Hyena.

"We all need money for various reasons," he said as Jonothan pushed open the window inside, "so don't screw up."

"Too late for that, lad," the amused male voice noted.

Jonothan whipped his head around, realizing Lennox was standing there in front of the window. "Scatter!" he yelped, bringing up his stun gun.

Lennox calmly slapped the gun out of his hand as he grabbed the young man, one hand latching onto his throat. "You really didn't think it'd be that easy?" he asked as security forces converged on the group, weapons at the ready.

Hyena leaped on one robot, shredding it with her claws as she yelled furiously, "I'm not going back to jail!"

"Indeed," Jackal agreed as a weapon popped up on his arm, laying down suppression fire on the converging guards.

"Oh fuck," the young man moaned as he saw Lennox calmly knock out the boss, tossing him aside casually.

"Surrender," the cool, emotionless voice commended right before Kirika opened fire on her teammates. Precision fire found weaknesses in the two cyborgs, sending sparks flying and disabling systems on both of them.

"Traitor!" Jackal lunged at her but the girl backpedaled, keeping away as she pinged him with bullets again and again.

"No time," Hyena grabbed him as they staggered away from the others, "we've got to run!"

Stunningly rockets flared from the boots of both battered cyborgs, sending them both flying rather wobbly into the air. Kirika raised her gun, "Should I try to...?"

Lennox smiled slightly, "Wait for it."

After a second a series of surface to air missiles fired, converging on the wildly flying pair and engulfing them in a explosion. The leader of the security teams smiled wryly, "I'll have a squad go out with those kevlar nets. We'll round them up and ship them off to prison."

Jonothan was groggy but awake as the guards gathered the kidnap team together for transport. "How long have you been a traitor?" he demanded.

"Since shortly after you began forming the team," Kirika shrugged. "Mr Macduff made me a much better offer."

Lennox nodded as he firmly said, "An' I'll keep my word, too. Any medical help your partner needs, she'll have."

"Thank you," Kirika bowed as the three men and a woman were carted off to prison, hopefully for a good, long time.

Lennox MacDuff, sometimes known as Macbeth, soon took a relaxing sip of some good scotch as he let his mind wander a bit. Once upon a time he would have blamed either Demona or the Gargoyles for the attack, but he honestly couldn't see them see them hiring such inept help. Well, except for Kirika, of course.

David Xanatos was a possibility, Macbeth had to concede. The man had a mind like a corkscrew, and could easily have come up with such a scheme including the ineptness of most of the crew as a blind to prove he wasn't really involved. Trying to guess what Xanatos might have been planing gave him a headache...

'No,' Macbeth shook his head, 'it was more likely some semi-random event.' Forcing it from his mind he sat back and enjoyed his scotch.

David Xanatos, on the other hand, was much less relaxed when he heard the news. "Macbeth will think I was responsible," the brown haired man grumbled, stroking his neatly trimmed beard as he sat in his office in the Aerie building high above Manhattan.

Fox Xanatos actually looked rather amused as she commented, "And why is that?"

David gave her one of his infamous dour looks. "While not everyone knows I created Jackal and Hyena, everyone in our... unique community probably does," he said seriously.

"I told you to repossess their cybernetics," Fox told him, the slim young woman calmly burping their son, Alexander.

"I did," David shrugged, "replaced the military hardware with standard tech." His expression darkened again, "But they went to Preston Vogel at Cyberbiotics and got their systems repaired and even upgraded."

Fox looked displeased as she muttered, "I think Daddy and I need to have a little talk."

Fox was the only daughter of Halcyon Renard, the founder of Cyberbiotics. A hard minded yet somewhat ethical man he ran his company as a tight ship, but he also had a assistant. Preston Vogel was the dark shadow of Cyberbiotics, a man who would do anything needed to protect the bottom line, even resorting to second hand murder. David still wasn't sure if Halcyon was really in the dark, or if he just deliberately didn't let himself know what Vogel was doing.

"I'll have to contact Macbeth and let him know I wasn't involved," David said glumly, "then try to convince him of that."

"Pin it on Preston," Fox suggested cheerfully. "I would certainly have no problems with Macbeth going after Cyberbiotics." 

"Heh," David smiled wryly.

"I think we can calm him down," Fox noted as she walked over to the crib and put the baby down, "as long as we don't do anything stupid."

"Like show up on his lawn in my Steel Clan armor?" David asked wryly.

"That would do it," Fox smiled wryly. "He responds to shows of force about as well as you and Goliath do."

"I'm in good company," David smiled as Fox moved to hug him from behind.

Fox hugged him, pressing her breasts against his back as she purred, "And I mean that in the best way, too. You've... grown, in the time I've known you, David. I'm proud of you."

David smiled up at her warmly, "Thanks." He took a deep breath, "And now I get to try to reason with Macbeth. Reaching for the phone he dialed, waiting for the pick up, "Macbeth? It's David here. I heard about the attack...."

Fox watched David sweet talk the semi-immortal, smiling fondly. He really had grown up a lot since she first met him, and she was proud to call him her husband. 'Now I just have to prepare my gift to him,' she thought, 'bringing peace to the Gargoyle clans....'

To be continued!

Notes: Another side bit. I wanted to touch on how the various lives of the Gargoyle clans are carrying on, and how many of them are getting into trouble. Heh! I always liked Macbeth, so it's fun splitting a chapter with him and Xanatos, and it's fun writing David too. He started out evil, gradually picked up more noble side and is interestingly complex. Kirika is a refugee from Noir....


	6. Chapter 6

Day and Night

Six

Demona stretched her wings to catch a thermal, rising up on the hot air generated by streets full of bustling humans. Few humans looked up as she soared by, and she was usually well on her way before the one or two humans who did look up could react. Those faces staring up at her were often filled with fear, but every once in a while the man or woman's eyes would be filled with wonder.

'Is it those humans that inspire you to protect them, Goliath?' Demona wondered as the redheaded gargoyle dug her claws into the wall as she landed, climbing easily. She scurried up the wall like some human spider, reaching the top and pulling herself up onto the roof. Wrapping her wings around her Demona gazed out over the city, her expression contemplative.

After weeks of patrolling her section of the city Demona could feel herself changing inside, and part of her hated it. For ages she had dedicated herself to the preservation of the gargoyles and the destruction of humanity, her hatred of the humans spawned by bitter experience. But since founding Nightstone Enterprises and in her human identity working as head of the corporation she had worked closely with humans of all types, and her many prejudices gradually became worn away.

Yes, humans could be cruel, contemptible and evil, she had met many of them. Even in corporate circles she had encountered humans that made her skin crawl, creatures far more inhuman than the worst monsters. But at the same time she had met good, honorable, even noble humans of all shapes and sizes, as good as the best gargoyle Even that bitch Elisa Maza had shone courage and loyalty, as much as Demona hated to admit it.

'And of course Alicia,' Demona mused, thinking of her pretty young assistant. Kind, beautiful and warm she was more than a employee to her human self, in many ways she felt they were becoming friends,. And instead of fleeing in terror from Demona Alicia had been in awe of her, even inviting her right into her home!

Deciding she had been thinking too long Demona stretched out her leathery wings, flapping them slightly to loosen them up. She bent her legs slightly then with a powerful thrust of her muscles took to the air once more, soaring across the night sky.

About half a hour later Demona heard a scream, reflexively shifting her course in response. Once she would have soared on, but recently she had taken up the gargoyle custom of guarding her 'castle,' in this case the neighborhood around her townhouse. She swept down the side street, hearing another scream as she reached the alley.

Two figures struggled together, one apparently trying to force himself on the other. Demona swept in, yanking the larger man off, holding him up like a rag doll. She shook him once then looked at the victim, "Are you all right?"

"You're real," the blonde breathed out, then lights flared up from farther down the alley.

"Ack!" Demona yelped as a second man popped up, a powerful strobe light blinding her as he hefted... a video camera?

The 'victim' tidied up her clothes as she picked up a microphone the man tossed to her, "Trish Trillby, Action News!" She held the microphone up to Demona, "we had reports of gargoyle sightings, but I never expected to see one." She hesitated a moment then softly asked, "You can put my producer down now...."

Demona growled deep in her throat as she looked over the man, realizing he was fairly nicely dressed for a 'mugger.' She grit her teeth, fighting down a anger born out of surprise as much as anything, putting the man down roughly.

"Thank you," Trish smiled. "Do you have a name, Miss...?"

Demona wanted to bite the woman's head off, but throttled that response back too. "You shouldn't have been play acting like that," she said flatly to the shorter woman, "I could have seriously injured your friend here."

"I'm sorry," Trish apologized sheepishly.

Demona was tempted to simply stalk off, but she knew there was little love for gargoyles in the city. A interview certainly couldn't hurt.... "Gargoyles do not normally take names," she told her, "but I am called Demona."

"Demona?" Trish asked, a bit nervously.

Demona smiled, making sure her fangs were not visible as she answered, "Because he said I fight like a demon."

"I see," Trish said, nodding. She cleared her throat nervously and asked, "There are a lot of people scared of gargoyles, that you hide in the day and come out at night for unknown reasons. What do you think about that?"

"What you have to understand," Demona said, fighting to be patient, "is that gargoyles exist for one reason." She looked at the camera, "We protect our homes, and the people in them. It is in our nature to protect, and in return all we ask is to be left in peace."

Demona was shocked to realize that she meant every word. Once, before she met lying and corrupt humans that had been the center of her belief. Training under the Archmage and the cruelty of the royal court had soured her, the ages of life merely cementing that feeling. But now, after living among humans, it seemed that drive was returning.

"That's it?" Trish asked eagerly, "No secrets? No hidden agendas?"

"There will be some secrets," Demona admitted, "I will not tell you where I sleep during the day, for instance." She smiled wryly as she pointed out, "I have no wish for a maniac with a sledgehammer to come along...."

"Well, I don't blame you for that," the producer muttered from where he watched them off to the side, out of the camera frame.

"Now," Demona said as she stepped back, "if you are not in need of me anymore, I must go." She smiled slightly, "I still have a patrol to finish, after all."

Trish watched in shock as Demona leaped up onto the wall and began to climb. "Thank you!" she called.

"You're welcome," Demona said, stretching out her wings as she got high enough, then jumped out into a warm air current and glided away. Silently she hoped this interview hadn't been a bad idea, but figured she wouldn't find out till tomorrow.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The next morning Alicia Sevarius carried her breakfast over to the living room, settling down a little before sunrise to catch the news. Munching on her cereal the pretty blonde sat back, the national n news running first, then the local stuff going on.

"Action News has exclusive footage of one of the city's gargoyles, caught live on tape last night," the anchorman reported breathlessly.

Alicia sat forward, her eyes widening as the familiar redhead appeared, interrupting a fake robbery. She was a little startled at how angry Demona looked over being tricked, but on reflection she couldn't really blame her. The short interview played, then they cut back to the anchorman and Trish sitting in the newsroom.

"Everyone at Action News wants to thank you for your brave actions," the anchor said, "so, Trish, what did you think of the gargoyle?"

"Her name is Demona, Dave," Trish corrected. She looked thoughtful, "My impression is that she's sincere and wants to help."

Dave nodded, "There's been several instances of people in trouble being rescued by a flying figure that matches Demona, according to police reports. Officially the police disapprove of vigilante actions, but talking to beat cops they all approve."

"We've obtained interviews from several people helped, too," Trish added. She looked thoughtful, "Most admit to being frightened when a gargoyle just appears out of the night, but they're all thankful they were helped."

"Public opinion on the gargoyles remains mixed, however," Dave reported seriously, "with over thirty percent of poll responders disapproving of them. There is also the ongoing police investigation

of the gargoyles' actions."

Matt Bluestone appeared on the screen, heading into police headquarters. "I have no comment at this time," he said briskly, "I can not discuss a ongoing police investigation."

Trish came on again, "Surprisingly, both David Xanatos and Halcyon Renard have come out and made public statements in support of the gargoyles."

A recording of David Xanatos came up, smiling charmingly. "The way I see it," he explained, "they're simply public spirited citizens, no matter where they come from."

Alicia turned off the news, finishing up her breakfast as dawn began to light up the sky. As she stripped off her night wear she admitted she was a bit surprised Xanatos made that statement. After starting up the shower she climbed in, soaping up her hair as she wondered if she should change her opinion of him. Alicia scrubbed herself clean then rinsed, turning off the shower and stepping out as she grabbed a big fluffy towel and dried off.

Ducking into her bedroom Alicia opened up her closet, scanning the suits hanging there. Swiftly deciding on blue she took out the matching skirt and jacket, then grabbed a white blouse, stockings and garter belt. Alicia sometimes felt a little naughty wearing the old fashioned underwear, but she allowed herself a indulgence now and then. She dressed swiftly and efficiently, then went into the bathroom to comb out her hair and apply minimal makeup and some deodorant.

Returning to the living room Alicia picked up her purse, checking that all the essentials were in there, then took her cellphone and called the vehicle service Nightstone used. Occasionally she felt a bit guilty about being chauffeured around, but Dominique made several good arguments for doing things this way. A incoming text signaled the car had arrived, and Alicia double checked with a security code before she got in.

'She's as striking as ever,' Alicia thought as they drove up to the townhouse and saw Dominique Destine emerge, dressed in a sleek black woman's suit, her red hair nearly glowing in the morning sun. Once again Alicia was struck by the woman's pure physical presence, dominating the street so much people eagerly shifted aside.

"Good morning, Dominique," Alicia smiled as she popped open the door. Recently Miss Destine had asked her to use her first name, and to be honest Alicia was still getting used to it. Being that informal was a bit odd, but she had to admit she liked it.

"Morning, Alicia," Dominique smiled back as she casually climbed in beside her. She looked over at Alicia, "Having a good morning?"

"Yes," Alicia smiled, getting out her Cyberbiotics PDA and starting it up.

"Did you see your gargoyle on the news this morning?" Dominique gently teased, well aware of how much a fan Alicia was.

"Oh, yes," Alicia blushed a bit. "She looked very stunning," she added then smirked, "though I felt sorry for that producer she rattled and held."

Dominique chuckled softly, "Yes, I guess Demona was a bit annoyed being tricked." She sat back, looking thoughtful, "Xanatos and Cyberbiotics both came out publicly in support of the gargoyles. Do you think Nightstone should, too?"

"Do you want to?" Alicia asked curiously, "Or is it public relations?"

"A bit of both, to be honest," Dominique admitted candidly. "The truth about the innocence of the gargoyles will come out eventually, and our supporting them would look good. Also, personally I think the gargoyles are innocent of anything other than a impulse to help people."

Alicia rather expected Dominique was thinking unpleasant things about the ungrateful people, but decided not to ask. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. "Why not put out a statement of support," she suggested, "but in the form of a press release?"

"That would work," Dominique agreed after a moment, "it's a bit less grandiose than those video messages." With that out of the way she looked at Alicia, "So, what's today's schedule?"

Running through her organizer Alicia noted, "Follow up meetings with Xanatos representatives, and a appointment with Eliza Maza. She claims it's a personal matter." She looked up at Dominique, "Should I cancel it?"

Dominique looked uncomfortable, probably for the first time in Alicia's memory. "No," she finally said, "I'd better see her."

"Right," Alicia confirmed it on the schedule.

"And clear me a half hour after that," Dominique added dryly, "I usually need at least that long to calm down after dealing with her."

Alicia hesitated, but she had to ask, "Why does she bother you?"

Dominique tapped her fingers on the seat restlessly, then admitted, "She'd dating my ex."

To be continued....


	7. Chapter 7

Day and Night

Seven

Alicia Sevarius kept a eye on the clock as the blond worked, organizing her boss' schedule and generally playing guard dog to the outer office. One of the more critical duties she did was keep minor stuff from bothering Dominique, and she was generally pretty good at it. Today, though, she was a bit more distracted than usual.

It was strange, but hearing the boss say that she had a ex had thrown her badly off. Alicia had never really thought about her employer having a personal life, in fact she hadn't thought she had a personal life at all. Which was stupid, really.

'She's not a statue on a pedestal,' Alicia reminded herself, 'she's as human as I.'

Shortly after the Xanatos rep left a woman walked in, dressed in dress slacks and a blouse, a jacket thrown over it, Her skin was a warm brown, well suiting her black hair, and she scanned the office like she expected a ambush.

"Miss Maza?" Alicia asked politely, studying the woman thoughtfully.

"Eliza," she said, smiling down at the sitting woman. She saw the name on the desk and raised a eyebrow, "Sevarius?"

Alicia sighed softly. "You know my uncle?" she asked mildly.

"We've had professional dealings," Eliza said dryly. She put her hands in her jacket pockets, "Can I see Ms. Destine?"

"Just a moment," Alicia said as she activated the intercom, "Ms. Destine, your appointment is here."

"Send Maza in," Dominique answered crisply.

"You can go in, Miss," Alicia smiled professionally at the woman.

Once the other woman went into the office, Alicia tried to return to work, but she was distracted. 'I wish I could hear what's going on in there,' she admitted to herself, surprised at the impulse. Calling up the browser on her PC she decided to look up Maza on the search engine, to see what came up.

'She's a cop?' Alicia thought, not too surprised considering the wary way the woman acted. Her record was quite good, with multiple commendations and awards. She had been shot not too long ago, in a home break in apparently, and her brother had gone missing. In fact there was still a reward for information, though reading between the lines it looked like they had lost hope.

'Poor people,' Alicia thought, wondering how it would feel to just have one of your family disappear. Shaking it off she went back to work, typing up a report that Dominique needed finished for the end of the day.

About half a hour later Miss Maza left the inner office, her stride calm but forceful. Her expression was a odd mix of thoughtful and irritated, as if she was having to digest a thought that made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Have a nice day," Alicia called politely as she walked out.

Eliza paused at the outer door and smiled slightly, "Thanks."

Alicia worked for about ten more minutes, noting it was very quiet inside the boss' office. Getting up she tapped on the door lightly, then looked inside as she called, "Dominique?"

Dominique sat at her desk, the redhead frowning as she tapped on her desk with a single finger. She looked up with a weak smile, "Yes, Alicia?"

"Is everything all right?" Alicia asked tentatively.

Dominique sat up, smiling a bit stronger as she said, "I'm fine."

"Really?" Alicia smiled, raising a eyebrow.

Dominique chuckled softly, "Just a bit frustrated, I suppose." She paused and looked out the window a moment as she mused, "How do you convince someone who's known you for a long time that you've changed?"

"You and Miss Maza have known each other that long?" Alicia asked, feeling a surprising spike of jealousy.

"No, it's someone we both know...," Dominique hesitated then smiled slightly as she added, "it's a long story."

From her tone of voice Alicia expected that the long story wouldn't be explained, which she didn't mind. Well, not too much anyway. "I suppose it will just take time," she said honestly, "time for you to show you have changed, and time for them to believe it.'

"True enough," Dominique agreed, nodding. She chuckled wryly and added, "Too bad I'm not really the patient type."

"Oh, I don't know, you seem pretty patient to me," Alicia offered brightly.

"Thank you," Dominique smiled. She shook her head a moment, "Ugh, I forgot lunch. Do you want to go get something with me?"

"Should we?" Alicia looked surprised, "I mean, the front desk can take messages but..."

Dominique got up from her desk, smoothing out her clothes as she said firmly, "I am the CEO and owner of Nightstone enterprises, I think that at least lets me play hooky occasionally."

Alicia had to laugh, "Let's go."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

As Eliza Maza left Nightstone, she was surprised at how muddled her feelings were. She honestly hadn't wanted to believe Hudson or the news reports, the whole idea of Demona changing her ways was impossible.

But somehow, the Demona in that office was different than Eliza had expected. Maybe it was her frankly conceding that Eliza shouldn't trust her, or even her stating that she was calling a truce for practical reasons. Her bottom line, it seemed, was preserving the Gargoyle race, and they couldn't afford to lose any more of their number to internal fighting.

'Which is consistent with what I know about her,' Eliza admitted, 'But can I trust her word?'

Catching a taxi to the station was pretty easy, and Eliza paused to look up at the wreck of the clock tower above them Once it had been home to Goliath's clan, until the Hunters had brought them out into the open then launched a rocket attack on the building. Ironically that very attack was what turned public opinion a bit towards the Gargoyles...

"Hey, Eliza!" the brown haired man in the trench coat waved, his clothes a bit rumpled from a long day's work.

"Matt," Eliza smiled slightly.

Matt Bluestone was a good cop, if a trifle obsessed with the idea of plots and secret societies. He had actually worked with her and Goliath a few times, and he was now in charge of the city Gargoyle task force. Of course they didn't do much, mostly because the cops approved of the city's mysterious stone guardians.

"You might want to tell our friend G that the feds are still poking around," Matt cautioned her quietly as they paused in the sunlight.

"I'll see him tonight," Eliza nodded.

Matt smiled wryly, "Remind the others the cops still have a shoot on sight order, too. Not that most beat cops will do that, but..."

"Mother hen much?" Eliza teased, smirking.

"Yeah, yeah," Matt laughed, then scratched his unshaven chin. "Do you know anything about that Demona we've been hearing about?"

"Some," Eliza conceded. "got a hour?"

Matt sighed as he followed her inside, "Yeah, I can swing that."

Eliza proceeded to give him a summary of the life and times of Demona, running from stuff Macbeth told them to modern times. After a moment of internal debate she didn't tell him about Demona's human identity.

"Macbeth?" Matt blinked, "as in, Macbeth from the PLAY?"

"That's him," Eliza agreed, smiling wryly. That had been pretty much her own reaction, too. Conversationally she added, "My understanding is the play was more propaganda from the king who overthrew Macbeth, so don't take it too seriously."

"Still, wow," Matt shook his head. He sat back, trying to process what he had heard, "So she's been alive centuries?"

"Looks like it," Eliza nodded.

Matt sighed, "Poor woman."

"You think that immortality would be that bad?" Eliza wondered, having been considering that question herself a few times since meeting Demona.

"Outliving everyone you cared for," Matt noted, "and maybe even getting to the point you're scared to connect to people at all? I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

Eliza nodded reluctantly, "You could have a point."

Changing the subject Matt asked, "Do you think she's serious about reforming?"

Eliza frowned, looking down at her desk a moment. "My brain says no," she conceded, "but my gut feeling is yes. I've talked with her recently, and she seems sincere."

"Good," Matt actually looked relieved, "there's some talk of finally shutting down the gargoyle task force, but if something happens they'll start it back up again."

"I'll talk to my friends about it," Eliza told him, "we'll try to make sure nothing blows up in anyone's faces."

"That's probably the best we can do," Matt agreed as he got up and sauntered off.

After her shift ended Eliza headed over to Xanatos Tower, using her key-card to access the private elevator. At times she still found it hard to take in, having access to the home of the richest man in the world, not to mention being his enemy for awhile. But Goliath seemed willing to let bygones be bygones, and she had to accept that.

"Miss Maza," Owen nodded, the stiff blonde haired man nodding hello as she neared.

"Owen," Eliza nodded back. "How's the evil minion business?"

"Satisfactory," Owen said with barely a smile. Somewhat more seriously he added, "Please let your brother know we are still working on curing his condition."

Anton Savarius had experimented on runaways and others including her brother, trying to create Gargoyle-like beings. It hadn't gone well. "No luck finding Savarius?" she asked.

"He's gone to ground very well," Owen answered, "I fear he believes Thalog or Mr. Xanatos mean him harm."

"Understandably," Eliza agreed. "Let me know if you find him."

"Of course, miss," Owen bowed slightly as they separated.

'I better make sure my brother doesn't hear about Alicia Sevarius,' Eliza mused as she took the final lift up to the castle, 'there's no telling what he'd do.'

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Day and Night

Eight

As the day shifted to the evening Dominique Destine returned to her home, feeling surprisingly good about how the day had gone. Her negotiations with Xanatos were going well, and while she knew Elisa Maza didn't trust her yet, she felt she was making progress.

"Is there anything else?" Alicia Sevarius asked politely as the limo pulled up to the older townhouse in Manhattan and parked as they finished their talk.

"You're a fan of the Gargoyles, correct?" Dominique asked, a slight smile teasing her lips.

A blush colored Alicia's cheeks as she admitted, "Well, I like Demona a lot."

Dominique smiled back, struck by how cute her assistant looked, blushing like that. 'I'm getting soft,' she mused. Aloud she said, "Can you do me a favor? There have been rumors of Gargoyles in other cities, could you look into that for me?"

"Certainly," Alicia nodded, "but why?"

Dominique smiled calmly as she answered, "I don't see business opportumities with the Gargoyles yet, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. And the more information we have, the better equipped we'll be to go forward."

"I see," Alicia nodded.

An impish thought occurred to her as Dominique teased, "Who knows, maybe Demona will let us buy the licensing rights. We could sell t-shirts, plush dolls, action figures..."

Alicia actually giggled at that. "I can't quite see her agreeing to that," she chuckled.

"You never know," Dominique answered as she opened the door and got out, "Good night, Alicia."

"Night," the younger woman smiled.

Dominique nodded to the young man driving, "And good night to you, too. Please make sure to escort her to her door."

"Yes ma'am," he saluted, touching the brim of his hat.

Dominique turned and walked to her building, unaware that two people were admiring how good she looked in the stylish business suit. She unlocked the gate and went inside, then unlocked the front door. Her employees would have been shocked to see her casually toss aside her clothes as she walked to the shower, standing under the hot water as she washed away the day's accumulated scents.

Dressed in a robe Dominique watched the city, her thoughts turning to a problem that had vexed her of late. For much of her life Demona had dedicated herself to the survival of the Gargoyle race, but in doing so had lost sight of the forest for the trees. She had fought wars to save her clan and nearly destroyed them, then dedicated herself to destroying humanity and nearly killed Goliath's clan. She could no longer afford to be short sighted, not with the dire straits her people were in.

Sometimes Dominique wished she had never met Anton Savarius, for it was him that had taught her the basics of biology and about genetic diversity. To save a endangered species a certain minimum number of subjects was required, or there was a risk of interbreeding and genetic diseases. Gargoyles seemed to have greater genetic redundancy, but there was no telling how many of them they needed to remain a viable species.

'That's why I asked Alicia to investigate other clans,' she mused, brightening as she thought of her lovely assistant, 'maybe we can somehow trade members of the clans...?'

Lost in thought she was unaware as the sun dipped below the horizon, gasping in sudden pain as the transformation tool hold. It felt like her muscles were on fire as her human flesh was exchanged for gargoyle biology, her eyes blazing as she cried out. Her robe shredded as her batlike wings exploded from her back, stretching out as the pain faded.

Demona stood in her living room, her ragged breaths evening out as the pain faded away. "Damn you Puck," she growled, "does it have to hurt so much?"

Demona stalked nude across her suite, finding where she hid the rough cloth garments she wore in her gargoyle form. She pulled on the crude cloth garments and the circlet she usually wore, pausing to look at her reflection. Demona looked like some kind of barbarian princess, and for a moment was tempted to try on a t-shirt and shorts.

'Goliath would just die,' Demona actually smiled, then shook her head.

Leaving the bedroom Demona locked the doors for security, then cliumbed out a attic window to look out over the city. The bustle and smell made her wince, then she shook herself as she extended her leathery wings and caught a updraft. There was a incredible freedom to soaring over the city on currents of air, twisting and gliding above the busy streets. If there was anything she liked about this era, it was how easy it made gliding.

As she did most every night, Demona patrolled her part of the city, then began to spiral outward. She felt a fierce joy in pounding thieves and robbers, though she wondered if it was out of doing good deeds or just her dislike of the average human rabble.

'Still, there are humans I like,' Demona admitted. She would even concede she respected Maza, even if she didn't like the woman much.

A scream ripped through the night, and Demona launched herself gracefully from the rooftop she had been perching on. Out on the street a man was trying to get a purse from a woman, the lady fighting fiercely to keep hold. With a snarl Demona dove downward, startling the both of them.

"What the fuck?" the man yelped, pulling a gun from under his jacket even as he released the woman's purse.

The first bullet whizzed by, then Demona forcefully slapped the weapon out of his hand. The next blow knocked him out, though Demona was tempted to break the arm too. She looked at the victim and asked, "Are you all right?"

The redhead was looking at Demona wide eyed as she stammered and pointed past Demona, "I am, but..."

Demona whirled around, seeing a stunned looking young man who's shoulder was wet with blood. 'The bullet,' she realized, mentally cursing that she hadn't checked behind her.

"Oh hell," the boy muttered, swaying as he looked like he was going to faint.

Demona caught him even as her thoughts raced. "Call nine one one," she briskly ordered the woman, "I'll take him to a hospital."

Cradling the boy to her carefully Demona used her clawed hands and feet to rapidly scale a wall, then caught a warm wind as she took off. It took only minutes to reach the hospital, much faster than a ambulance could, and the emergency room literally froze when she burst inside carrying the boy.

"I have a gunshot wound here," Demoina barked, sending the interns and doctors scrambling.

Within moments the boy's shirt had been torn open and they were treating him, and Demona backed away to let them work. As minutes drew into a hour or more she wondered if she should stay here or leave, but with all the people gawking at her she was tempted to go.

"Miss... Demona, is it?" a older man pushed through the crowd, frowning up at her.

Demona tensed, for a moment reminded of Macbeth, then made herself relax. He was... softer than Macbeth, and seemed even older in some ways. "Yes, I am," she nodded to him a trifle warily.

Suddenly he threw his arms around her, stunning her. "Thank you," he said as he smiled weakly, "you may have saved our Timmy's life."

"I should have been more careful," Demona told him with a shrug. Quietly she asked, "Is he going to be all right?"

"The bullet nicked a artery," he said quietly, "he might have bled out if you hadn't gotten him here as fast as you did." The older man smiled up at her again as he said, "Thank you."

Demona lingered with the boy's grandfather as other family trickled in, listening to status reports as the night passed. Finally as Dawn neared she rose to leave, talking to the family for a moment before stalking off.

'I should have been watching,' Demona thought grimly as she scaled the side of the hospital, then launching herself out on the breeze. The sun would rise soon so she hurried across the city, eventually alighting on top of her home and slipping inside just as the sun rose once more.

"Arrgh!" Demona groaned in pain as she shifted from gargoyle back to human, silently cursing as the agony wracked her body.

Not long afterward Dominique Destine emerged from her bedroom, once more dressed in a fashionable suit and munching on a sandwich. Because she did not transform to rock in the daylight, she couldn't draw on sunlight to refuel. Therefore she had to eat a great deal to replenish her reserves, something she went to great lengths to hide from her assistant.

Entering the living room Dominique snapped on the TV to catch the news, as well as to see the financial numbers. The serious looking newscaster was caught in mid-sentence, "... and thanks to the heroic actions of the gargoyle, Demona, both the assault victim and shooting victim survived."

"But...," Dominique sounded rather strangled as she muttered, "I screwed up!"

Flicking through stations Dominique saw that coverage of the event was nearly uniformly positive. Only one station actually suggested she had made a error, and even they were quite mild about it. Much of the footage was of the woman Demona had saved along with Tim's family, who raved about how happy they were that she helped.

"I will never understand humans," Dominique shook her head, drinking down a protein shake and finishing getting ready to go.

Right on time the limo pulled up to the street as Dominique finished locking up, then with a confident stride the redhead walked out to the car. "Morning," she nodded to the driver.

"Morning," he nodded, smiling slightly.

Sitting in the back Alicia had a broad smile on her face, her eyes nearly glittering with excitement. "Did you catch the news?" she asked excitedly.

Dominique had to bite back a laugh as she sat down, her briefcase sitting across her lap. "I did," she admitted as the car started up and smoothly slid into the busy morning traffic, "it seems your hero had been busy."

Alicia blushed as the attractive young woman asked, "I'm not that bad, am I?"

Deadpan Dominique answered her, "Yes, you are." She laughed as she sat back, "Well, I suppose we all must have our hobbies."

Alicia actually chuckled softly. "So, should I start saving newspaper clippings of Demona?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"If it makes you happy," Dominique answered, and was faintly surprised to realize she meant it. Somewhat briskly she decided to fall back on business she asked, "What's on the schedule for today?"

"The Cyberbiotics rep wants to see you, I presume they've heard rumors about our Xanatos project," Alicia checked her PDA, "we've been approached by the news media on the support we offered for Demona earlier, and the annual charity lunch is coming up. Do you want me to book you a rent-a-date?"

"Not this time," Dominique shook her head then smiled as a thought occurred to her. "Would you like to come along?" she asked.

Alicia's eyes widened, "Would that be a good idea?"

Dominique smiled at her, "I'd like you to. The event will be a bore otherwise."

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Day and Night

Nine

Matt Bluestone hated press conferences and dealing with the media, but the brown haired middle-aged man in a trench coat faced the reporters bravely. "Thank you all for coming," he said briskly, "I'll be reading a brief statement from the police then taking questions."

There was a mutter from the crowd, but it swiftly silenced as Matt began to read. "The New York police department has determined there is no longer any purpose to the Gargoyles Task Force and are shutting it down," he said briskly. "There are several resons for this decision, including the possibility the data we based our decision to start the Task Force may have been faulty," he finished. Looking out over the media he smiled wryly, "Questions?"

One of the reporters waved a hand and Matt sighed as he recognized his old nemesis, Alexis Shakes. "Yes?" he recognized her.

The black haired woman gave him a steady look as Alexis said, "As I understand it, the Task Force was founded in part based on false information fed to the New York Police Department?"

"Yes, by a man we later identified as Jon Canmore, who posed as a reporter," Matt said, not too covertly pointing the finger back at the media. Thoughtfully he added, "It's interesting no one ever called him on his doctored footage."

Another reporter waved his hand and when Matt nodded to him the slick looking man asked, "Do you blame the media for the bias against Gargoyles?"

"I never blame the media for anything," Matt said with a saintly smile, and several reporters laughed.

Cameron Blaze was called on next, the redhead smiling slightly as she checked her notes. "Does the New York Police Department have a official position on the Gargoyle Demona and her vigilante activities?" she asked him pointedly.

"The Police do not have a official position on her at this time," Matt said briskly, "but we are always willing to accept the help of concerned citizens."

"Even if that citizen isn't human?" a reporter called.

"Ah, yes, and here come the tabloids," Matt muttered just loud enough for a nearby reporter to chuckle. "Is the Weekly World News still carrying your byline, Simon?" he asked politely.

Simon Bennet flushed but stressed, "It's a legittimate question, officer."

"Demona may not be human but she appears to be humane," Matt said dryly. "I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt."

"What's your opinion of figures like David Xanatos, Halcyon Renaurd and Dominique Destine coming out in support of the Gargoyles?" another reporter asked.

"I'm glad we have such civic minded citizens," Matt answered with a shrug. "Other than that I can't really say."

Matt fielded a few more questions, his expression calm as he dealt with what he felt were dumb questions from idiots, then finally ended the press conference. "Thanks for coming out, everyone," he added as he fled the meeting room the scrum was taking place in.

Assistant District Attorney Margot Yale met him in the hall, smiling wryly as she said, "Thanks for handling that."

"You owe me one," Matt said, not really joking with the other woman.

"I know," Margot agreed as she hurried off.

Matt went to the meeting room where his team waited for what was officially a final debrief. In reality it was more of a farewell, since the members of the group were simply returning to their usual duties in the police etc etc.

"Hey Matt, looking good," Elisa Maza teased, pointing to the TV in a corner where the press conference was playing.

"Gee, thanks," Matt laughed, sweeping his fellow officers with his eyes.

Agent Martin Hacker of the FBI gave him a cheery smile, his former partner now the FBI liason. Beside him was Maza, then officers Harris, Chung and Morgan. All of them had worked hard on the hunt for the city's Gargoyles, though only Maza had known he really hadn't really wanted to actually catch them.

"Everyone, it's been a honor to work with you," Matt said gruffly, "and I'd take any of you for teammates if we have another major case. Thank you for all your hard work."

There was much back slapping and talk as they made their farewells, then one by one they left to return to their usual jobs. Finally only Martin lingered, shaking Matt's hand as he murmured, "Our... mutual friends are still interested in the Gargoyle, Goliath. Keep it in mind."

"Yeah, got it," Matt nodded, not letting his annoyance show through.

As Martin left Matt watched him go, wondering how his life got this strange. Once upon a time he had been a self proclaimed conspiracy nut, chasing stories about the Illuminati. He moved to the 23rd precinct, met Maza, and eventually learned that the Illuminati were real, and that his friend Martin was one of them. Worse, Martin had deliberately fed him false information to keep him off track. Now Matt himself was a Illuminati, covertly trying to bring them down...

"Bluestone!" he heard from out in the hall, "One of the reporters wants to talk to you."

Grumbling under his breath Matt headed out of the room then up the hall, then frowned as he saw who was waiting for him. "What a pleasant surprise," he said flatly.

Alexis Shakes smiled, matching her nickname 'the Shark.' "Yes, isn't it?" she said cheerfully. "I wanted to talk to you privately."

Matt nodded to the lingering cop, "You can go. If she attacks me, I'll scream."

"Right sir," the younger man bit back a chuckle as he sauntered off.

"Very funny," Alexis glowered at Matt. Seriously she said, "If you're done playing comedian, I might have some information for you..."

"On what?" Matt asked skeptically.

"Dracon," Alexis said flatly, "seems he's getting back on his feet..."

"Tell me more," Matt said much more seriously.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Dominique Destine turned off the television in her office, feeling a certain amount of satisfaction in seeing the police task force that had been hunting the Gargoyles shut down. It had taken some string pulling on Xanatos' part, she understood, but she wasn't tempted to dig into it. Besides, she firmly agreed with the results of his actions.

There was also still a lot of good press on her rescue of the boy her actions had caused to be shot, which still bewildered Dominique. How human could celebrate her saving the life of a man endangered by her own actions confused her. She should have been aware enough to block the shot, not clean up the mess afterwards.

'Never mind,' Dominique shook her head firmly, 'it doesn't help to dwell on the past.' She smiled to herself wryly, knowing she had never been terribly good at taking that advice.

"Dominique, I got you lunch," Alicia called as she opened the door.

"Thank you," Dominique said with more than her usual warmth as Alicia carried in the large bag of sandwiches from the corner deli.

"I envy you when I see you eating like this," Alicia noted, the two of them sharing Dominique's desk as they ate.

Dominique chuckled softly, "I have a fast metabolism."

In fact, her voracious appetite was another effect of the curse Puck put on her. Normally, Gargoyles slept during the day, soaking up sunlight which helped power their unusual bodies. However Demona no longer had that ability, so to compensate she had to eat more, as well as putting aside times to 'power nap' in her human form. It was annoying, but she felt the trade offs were mostly worth it.

"So, this dinner we're going to," Alicia mused as she munched on her own sandwich, "is it black tie formal?"

"As I understand it," Dominique agreed, "though there's a lot of flexibility in what counts as formal. There's going to be various dignitaries whom it's presumed will wear whatever they like." For a moment Demona imagined David Xanatos showing up there in his Steel Clan armor and had to bite back a chuckle.

"I was hoping to see you in a tuxedo," Alicia admitted, blushing faintly.

Dominique blinked, looking at her assistant in surprise. For her part Alicia's eyes widened, then she blushed pinkly. "Oh really?" Dominique purred archly.

"I, uhm," Alicia blushed, looking away.

"Well," Dominique polished off her second sandwich, finally starting to feel full, "I have to admit I don't mind the idea."

"I think you'd look very good in one," Alicia finally managed to say, "you're very feminine, but you have a powerful presence too. I think a suit would increase that."

"True," Dominique agreed, "but I'll only do it on one condition."

Alicia looked at her curiously, "What's that?"

Dominique smiled slowly, "I want you in the sexiest formal dress we can find."

"Ah...," Alicia blushed again.

"Come on," Dominique encouraged her, "it's a fair trade, at least." She reached out and patted her hand, "You're a very attractive girl, I'd think you'd want to show it off a bit more."

"Thanks," Alicia looked down at her half eaten food then up at Dominique, "You really think I'm attractive?"

"You're beautiful," Dominique said simply, once again feeling she didn't understand humans.

Alicia smiled suddenly, her expression gentle as she mused, "The way you say that so promptly... I've had boyfriends who wouldn't do that."

Demonique was faintly startled by the sudden surge of jealousy she felt, firmly tramping it down before Alicia could see it. Some... deep, primal part of her saw Alicia as her's, somehow, and it did NOT want to hear about past lovers.

Alicia apparently caught a bit of her reaction, leaning forward as she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Just that the idea of someone mistreating my lovely assistant pisses me off," Dominique admitted frankly as she met Alicia's eyes.

Alicia blushed again, but smiled as she murmured, "Thank you."

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Day and Night

Ten

David Xanatos cut a fine figure in a tux, the off gray cloth hugging his nicely muscled body. He looked fit and capable, his brown hair neat and his beard trimmed. Through a perfect smile he noted to his companion, "I hate this garbage."

Fox Xanatos, his wife, looked amused as she stood beside him in a shimmering black dress. Her fox head tattoo didn't even draw a remark as she smiled winningly as she picked up a drink, taking a careful drink. "So why are we here?" she asked mildly.

"Public relations," David admitted, chuckling slightly.

All around them the charity luncheon was going on, this time in the great hall of Castle Wyvern itself. It was a strange and beautiful sight, to see both the ancient castle and modern business types together. Some of the men and women seemed a bit nervous, but most looked around them in awe at their surroundings.

"Don't give me that," Fox said as she drank from her sparkling water, "you could have just done a donation, instead of inviting them up here." She smirked, "Just the chance to get up here was enough to double the charity's take, I bet."

"I suppose," David admitted, scratching his chin slightly. Changing the subject he asked, "Has Demona arrived yet?"

"Dominique," Fox corrected, "don't forget. If you slip, it could make things rather hectic."

"Right, sorry," David chuckled softly. "You have to admit, I spent much longer calling her the other name," he pointed out.

"Fair enough," Fox agreed, "and no, I haven't seen her." She paused as another figure cut through the crowds, "Why did you invite Maza?"

"Elisa Maza is a very charming young woman," David said with wounded innocence. He grinned roguishly, "Plus, her being here is added security in case anything goes wrong."

"You think they'll be trouble?" Fox asked.

"You, I, Maza and Dominique are all going to be here," David noted, "and Halcyon Reynard. What do you think?"

Fox made a face as she murmured, "Point taken." She covertly touched the radio at her side that connected directly to Owen, who was watching over her and David's son.

Almost as if mentioning his name drew his Halcyon Reynard wheeled up, using a older style wheelchair pushed by his minion, Preston Vogel. The old man studied them both intently, then looked at David thoughtfully, "So what's your scheme this time?"

"I'm surrounded by people who think the worst of me," David sighed dramatically. "My scheme is making the charity some money."

"We think the worst with good cause," Halcyon noted, pointing at him with a wizened finger. A slight smile tugged on his lips, "Thank you for letting me see my grandson."

"He likes you," David shrugged casually.

Fox smiled warmly as she bent down and hugged him warmly. "It's good to see you, Daddy," she told the old man warmly.

"You too," Halcyon agreed with a sigh.

"Well," David looked over at Preston Vogel calmly, taking in the almost wooden minion, "burned any forests down this week?"

Preston gave David a disapproving look, "That was a unfortunate laps of judgment on my part, but Mr. Renard has forgiven me."

"Luckily," David smiled coldly, "it's only his protection that's saving you."

Tilting his head sideways Preston noted, "I do not fear the Inca Gargoyles."

David smiled coldly as he said, "It's not them you should be scared of, it's Demona."

Fox pulled away from her father then calmly elbowed her husband in the ribs. "Kindly stop scaring Preston," Fox said seriously, "Demona has turned over a new leaf." She paused, "Well, mostly, She still beats criminals bloody..."

"Fox," David chided, fighting back a smile as Preston went even more pale.

"I'll see you later," Halcyon chuckled softly as he made Preston push him off to another part of the busy party.

"You really hate him don't you?" Fox asked, nodding towards Preston.

David hesitated, making sure there was no one near enough to hear. "I do," he admitted, "because he's so petty in his villainy. He'll do anything, but just for... profit."

Fox looked at David, and was once again struck by how much he had changed since they first met. While following a code of sorts he had started out as cold and ruthless as Preston. Now, though, he was a man who valued friends and allies, kept his word yet was still as dangerous as he ever was. It was a hell of a transformation.

"What?" David noticed her gaze, "Do I have something on my shirt?"

"No, you look fine," Fox reassured him, taking his arm. She swept the crowd with her eyes, then noticed a familiar figure, "Look who's here."

The attractive redhead known as Dominique Destine struck quite a figure in a black tuxedo, one tailored to her attractive form. Beside her a slightly less attractive but still beautiful woman followed her, the blond dressed in a slinky little dress that left very little to the imagination.

"That's young Miss Savarius," Fox noted quietly, "I didn't realize they were quite that close."

"Either way," David noted thoughtfully, "it's a interesting development."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Oh my god," Alicia breathed out as the younger woman looked around her in awe, "Xanatos really put a castle up here?"

"He did," Dominique agreed, "moved it stone by stone from Scotland and had it rebuilt atop Xanatos tower, not to mention figuring out how to reinforce the tower to keep it from falling. It was a incredible feat for the company."

And then a voice declared, "And one we couldn't have managed without you."

Dominique narrowed her eyes as David Xanatos strode over, then calmed her expression as Alicia looked at her in confusion. "You exaggerate, David," she said smoothly. Looking over at Alicia she quickly improvised, "I simply consulted with Xanatos Enterprises on the project, as you know I'm deeply interested in antiquities."

"It's good to see you, Dominique," Fox smiled slightly as they shook hands, "I'm glad you were able to come."

"Thank you for the invitation," Dominique answered warmly. "David, I don't know if you've met my date, Alicia?"

"It's a honor," David took Alicia's hand, then brought it to his lips for a kiss. "You are lovelier than a rogue like Dominique deserves," he smiled.

"Thank you," Alicia blushed sweetly as she drew her hand back and said, "but I'm quite happy with Ms. Destine."

"Well said," David nodded briskly. He smiled, "If you wish, I could give you both a tour later."

"Let us look around a bit on our own first," Dominique told him, giving David a not-quite-mock glare, "we'll see you later."

"I'll look forward to it," Fox smiled as they moved off to mingle.

Alicia stayed close as they moved through the rich and famous of New York, nodding to Mayor and Governor, the Chief of Police and others. "Everyone seems to know you," she noted quietly.

"Casually," Dominique admitted as they walked through the great hall, admiring the stained glass and sculptures, "I've had to learn to maintain such connections for the business, but I can't say I enjoy it much."

"Too insincere?" Alicia asked curiously.

"Something like that," Dominique agreed as they went out the open doors at one and of the hall, and out to the exterior of the castle. A great stone wall rose up on one side and a protective outer barrier circled the castle, leaving a walkway they could follow.

The afternoon sun splashed on the stone, coloring it rose and gold, even as it danced along the stone gargoyles outside. The figures were almost frightening, especially the tallest one in the thinker pose, but they were also quite beautiful.

"They're incredible," Alicia breathed out, her eyes wide with delight.

"That they are," Dominique agreed, looking at Goliath's sleeping form with a odd pang. Standing there she suddenly wanted to tell Alicia everything, reveal all her secrets to this sweet innocent who walked beside her.

"You have the oddest look on your face," Alicia noted, concern in her voice.

"I...," Dominique started, then a voice rang out from behind them.

"I did not expect to see you here, Dominique," the faintly accented voice said, a man who by the sound of it was holding back irritation.

With the experience of centuries Dominique spun around, even as she tugged and pushed Alicia behind her. "Wha...!" Alicia yelped, holding onto Dominique's arm.

Dominique glared at the older man, his beard streaked with gray yet still looking as tough and vital as ever. "Macbeth," she growled out, teeth flashing. 'Damn you Xanatos, you KNEW he would be here and didn't tell me!' she thought.

Macbeth looked good in a suit, a older styled one that suited him well. He raised his eyebrows at the woman that Dominique was protecting, then studied the redhead thoughtfully. "I know we parted on bad terms, but it wasn't that bad," he joked, covering up their conflict in front of a outsider.

Dominique relaxed just a bit, glad he wasn't airing gargoyle business in front of a innocent. "Sorry," she relaxed just a bit, "I guess I overreacted."

"I guess so," Alicia noted, keeping a wary eye on the older man. She trusted her boss, clearly, as she asked, "Dominique said your name was... Macbeth?"

"Lennox Macbeth," he bowed slightly, his expression apologetic as he said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have surprised you that way."

"You nearly started something dangerous, I think," Alicia pointed out.

"True enough," Macbeth noted. He backed away slightly, "I'll leave you alone, ladies, though I hope Dominique will not object to my catching up later." With that he turned and walked away, bearing proud and steps determined.

"That was interesting," Alicia noted after a moment. "Are all your friends like this?"

Dominique had to grin at Alicia's slightly mocking tone. "A few, yes," she admitted, "I know a few... unusual people."

"Well," Alicia stepped close to her and smiled, "lead on, MacDuff."

"It's lay on, but that's fine," Dominique chuckled as she took Alicia's arm, the two walking back to the main hall together. "Let's hope this lunch goes better..."

"Famous last words?" Alicia quipped, and the two headed in.

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Day and Night

Eleven

The man named Macbeth watched warily, the steel grey haired man drawing the eyes of many women. Despite his age he was strikingly handsome looking fit and vigorous in his stylish tux. Of course no one there really knew how old he was, except for David Xanatos and the transformed Gargoyle Demona.

Dominique Destine, rather. With a frown he studied the attractive redhead, a woman he had foolishly once thought he loved. It had all been manipulation, of course, part of a plan by her and Thailog, but it had hurt him none the less. He supposed he had been vulnerable, but t still stung to be tricked that way.

He saw David Xanatos cutting through the crowd, possibly concerned with the possibility of him starting a fight in his hall. Macbeth smiled slightly as he sipped his drink, wondering if he knew that he and Demona had already met? Either that or he was coming to check out the damage.

"Lennox, sorry I didn't have the chance to see you sooner," Xanatos said smoothly, "thank you for the generous donation."

"And how do you know it was generous?" Macbeth had to ask.

"You don't do things in half measures," Fox Xanatos noted agreeably, bringing drinks for her and her husband. "I hate to be pushy," she added warmly as she passed David his drink, "but please don't murder Demona at the party. It would just ruin the tone we're going for."

That got a snort of amusement from Macbeth, which was probably Fox's intent. At least it broke the tension a bit, and he smiled slightly as Macbeth sipped his drink. "Dominique seemed rather startled to see me," he noted, "she didn't see the guest list?"

"We didn't give her the full list," David admitted.

Macbeth shook his head, "Are you trying to start something?"

"Would she have talked to you otherwise?" Fox challenged. Calmly she continued, "You two need to end the feud, before it destroys you both."

Macbeth studied the two of them thoughtfully. "You two are really serious about reforming, aren't you?" Macbeth mused, more to himself than to anyone else.

"I wouldn't put it quite that way," David said with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "let's say my priorities have undergone a shift."

The two moved off, leaving Macbeth alone for the moment. He knew about the birth of Xanatos' son, of course, and he was well aware the changing power a child could have on you. It reminded him of his own children, lost ages ago, and a wife he had once loved more than life itself.

He really didn't feel like eating, but Macbeth sat himself at the table with the other guests. Keeping up with the conversation took minimal effort, and he was amused by some other people he saw. There was Elisa Maza, looking distinctly uncomfortable in a dress, as well as her new partner, a Matt Bluestone. He had faced the woman in the past in battle and it amused him to see her like this.

Once lunch was over there was more tedious mingling, this time relieved by Demona herself. She introduced her pretty friend to Maza, then left her there before Demona advanced to where Macbeth was standing. He sipped his drink and then put it on a passing waiter's tray, deciding he needed his thoughts clear.

"Macbeth," Demona said bluntly, "are you hunting me, tonight?"

Macbeth sighed, remembering the times he had worn the mask of the Hunter, trying to end both their lives. He sometimes thought he had been mad, wearing the mask of his old enemy and trying to kill a gargoyle and her clan.

Macbeth met her eyes, "I'm not hunting you tonight, Dominique. It's far too public for any of our battles, anyway."

A wry smile tugged on Dominique's lips as she agreed, "Very true. Do you think I could talk to you a moment?"

Macbeth looked at her curiously but nodded, "Certainly, let's go outside."

The afternoon sun was warm on his skin as they stood on the outer wall of the castle, the glass doors behind them looking oddly out of place in such a structure. He supposed Xanatos added them later, for whatever reason. There was a comfortable breeze blowing, and he could see birds off in the distance.

"I cannot make up for what I did to you, Macbeth," Dominique admitted after a moment, her own gaze off in the distance, "a life time of effort wouldn't do it."

"Hmm," Macbeth grunted, but he was faintly surprised by how mature she sounded. Much of the time she had reminded him of a petulant child, not a grown woman. The birds seemed a bit closer as she sighed quietly.

"I want to preserve the Gargoyle race," Dominique said, "it has been my guiding purpose. But because of my battles with Goliath's clan, and you too, I think I have finally realized I have been going about things the wrong way."

"If that's true," Macbeth challenged her, "if saving Gargoyles is your purpose, what are you doing going out at night and saving humans, hmm?"

Dominique actually blushed, which nearly made Macbeth laugh. It was SO out of character for her. Looking over her shoulder he saw the shapes nearing the building, and froze a moment. "What?" Dominique demanded.

"Those aren't birds," Macbeth growled.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Dominique heeled around, seeing the things nearing the castle by air and cursed softly. She wasn't sure if Macbeth had encountered the creatures, but she recognized them instantly. The cat like faces, furred bodies, batlike wings... she knew them TOO well.

"Those are creatures made by Anton Sevarius," Dominique said flatly as she turned to hurry to the doors, "and I doubt they are friendly."

"Has Xanatos done something to annoy him?" Macbeth asked conversationally even as the beast-things began to land, snarling as the people inside screamed in panic. They liberated some chairs and used them to try to brace the doors shut, but neither was confident it would work.

David Xanatos looked clearly cross as he and Fox were ushering guests deeper into the castle, even as the creatures began to hammer mindlessly at the doors. "Sevarius again?" Elisa growled, somehow producing a pistol from the slinky dress she was wearing.

"This happens to you often?" Bluestone asked dryly.

Elisa shrugged, "Often enough."

A door splintered and one of the beast things began to force through, even as men and women screamed in panic and fear. Dominique looked around crossly, wishing she was armed, then she noticed the decorations along the walls. "Xanatos!" she yelled from where he was standing near the crossed swords on the wall, "Toss one here!"

With a surprising show of strength he got a sword free and heaved it over to her, then tossed another to Macbeth. Arming himself he advanced to join them as the creatures moved forward, and he was soon joined by Fox.

"I thought this place was well defended," Macbeth shot at Xanatos even as he parried a monster's claw strike.

"It is, but I didn't want guests getting fried," Xanatos noted dryly as he cut a clawed hand off with a fast strike.

Nearly ten of them crammed through the broken door, not even thinking to unjam the other side. Watching them Dominique decided they were nearly mindless, sniffing around and attacking wildly. The only one that seemed to have any smarts was a creature with a cybernetic eye, who watched the fight from a distance.

"Dominique, be careful!" Alicia called frantically from where the studious young woman was trying to usher out the rest of the guests.

Dominique actually blushed, which amusingly both Macbeth and Xanatos noticed. "I will," she called as she ducked under a claw swipe then coldly disemboweled the monster.

"Think these were people?" Fox asked, using a sharp knife in each hand. The four were staying bunched together, positioned to block access to the wider hall and to watch each others backs.

"I hope not," Macbeth growled, "I'd not with this fate on anyone."

A bullet whizzed by and hit one of the creatures, punching into the head and sending it staggering backwards before it fell. Turning her head slightly Dominique saw that Maza and Bluestone had positioned themselves to fire into the monsters without hitting the fighters.

Fox stabbed at one, driving it backwards then the stronger Macbeth cut it down. They were left with just six of them, and the beasts seemed confused, milling about as they tried to figure out how to get past the group of defenders.

Finally, the cybernetically changed one advanced a bit, studying them warily. There was a hissing sound, then shockingly a familiar voice came out of a necklace it was wearing. "Well, this isn't going as planned," it noted conversationally.

"Sevarius," David growled out. "What do you want?"

Anton Sevarius sounded amused, "Who says I want anything? After all, you paid me off quite well after you fired me."

"Uncle?" Alicia said weakly, edging closer to look at the cyborg with mild horror.

"I didn't see you over there, dear niece," Anton noted mildly as if this sort of conversation happened daily, "how have you been? Is my sister still well?"

"Y... yes, but what is...?" Alicia stammered.

"Oh good, I'll try to get a visit in as soon as I can," Anton's voice said breezily.

"Anton, focus," Fox barked. She calmly met the cyborg's gaze as she asked, "What are your creations doing here Anton?"

The cyborg actually managed to look wounded as Anton's voice said, "Can't a man want to stop in and see his old friends?" He laughed, suddenly, nearly cackling as he mused, "No, I suppose not. My pets, kill yourselves please."

'What...,' Dominique jerked in shock as the creature nearest to itself ripped it's own throat out in a spray of blood and gore. "Ack!" she yelped.

Each one of the creatures killed itself as they watched in shock. "This was a test, you see," Anton noted conversationally, "and it seems this new combat type hasn't worked out. Well, I guess it's back to the drawing board." The cyborg shuddered and convulsed, then simply collapsed.

"Eep," Alicia made a soft sound then simply crumpled, unable to take any more.

Dominique rushed over and caught her before the girl hit the floor. She was comforted to feel a strong and steady pulse, and decided the stress was simply too much for her.

Eliza Maza walked over, a odd look on her face. "Matt called emergency services and the cops on his cellphone," she noted mildly, "they should be here soon."

"Thank you," Dominique sighed, cradling Alicia in her arms.

Fox and David were nearby, talking quietly. "Well," David Xanatos noted, "this will be the last time anyone asks us to host a charity lunch. Would that count as a good thing?"

"David!" Fox scolded, but she was smiling wryly.

Macbeth sauntered over as he asked mildly, "And how are you going to explain this away?"

"Terrorists," Fox offered briskly, "the government uses that all the time. Besides, it might even be true, considering how cracked Sevarius must be..."

To be continued...


	12. Chapter 12

Day and Night

Twelve

The laboratory was well hidden, far bellow the city of New York. While the mutates had explored the tunnels beneath the city there were sections they were entirely unaware of. Building projects were abandoned and plans lost, or worse hidden away for purposes that were either illegal, immoral or both.

Anton Sevarius sat back in his chair with a smile, watching his creations attack the party hosted by David Xanatos. He wished he had a white Persian cat to stoke on his lap, for the perfect evil mastermind touch, but animals didn't like him for some reason. Oh well, maybe he could clone a obedient hybrid?

His creations landed on the castle's paraphet, then advanced on the doors. Anton saw someone brace the doors shut, and leaned forward as he realized they looked familiar. He adjusted the camera and zoomed in, revealing Macbeth and Dominique. "Well, well. It seems my old friends are all here," he noted, smiling.

The mutate soldiers were operating on preplanned attack routines, something Anton had decided on early for this attack. He needed to know how effective his creations could be with minimal control on his part. As planned they advanced on the doors, then they ran through their primative thoughts and smashed at the wood and glass, forcing their way inside.

Anton watched over the video feed as Xanatos and his guests armed themselves with swords and swiftly attacked his creations. "What is this?" he cried as one of his creations lost a hand, "The Three Musketeers?"

Distressingly Xanatos, Fox, Macbeth and Dominique proved to be very good with swords, chopping at his servants. Despite the mutates' enhanced strength they weren't very good fighters, and the four were cutting them down far too easily.

Then bullet fire began to cut into his creations, too. Anton switched the view, noting Eliza Maza and her partner, some dumb lug firing away. Soon more than half his force was dead, and the even remote possibility of achieving his other objectives was mostly gone.

Anton activated the speaker built into the 'lead' mutate, waiting a moment for it to activate. "Well," he noted mildly, "this isn't going as planned." He bit back a laugh at everyone's surprised reaction. Clearly they had known it was him, but actually hearing his voice startled them.

Xanatos was the first to recover, scowling as he said, "Sevarius. What do you want?"

Anton Sevarius smiled cheerfully as he answered, "Who says I want anything? After all, you paid me off quite well after you fired me."

"Uncle?" a familiar voice said. Anton switched the camera view, even as a smile broke out on his face as he recognized his niece Alicia.

"I didn't see you over there, dear niece," Anton said cheerfully, glad to see the girl was doing well as he asked, "how have you been? Is my sister still well?"

"Y... yes, but what is...?" Alicia stammered.

"Oh good, I'll try to get a visit in as soon as I can," Anton's voice said breezily, ignoring the girl's stunned expression. He was used to that reaction, when people saw his inventions at work. It was sad really, how people just didn't recognize true genius.

"Anton, focus," Fox barked, drawing his attention back to her and the other fighters. She calmly met the cyborg's gaze as she asked, "What are your creations doing here Anton?"

Anton sighed, trying to sound wounded as he asked, "Can't a man want to stop in and see his old friends?" He laughed, suddenly, nearly cackling as he mused, "No, I suppose not. My pets, kill yourselves please."

With amusement Anton watched them jerk back in shock as his creatures committed suicide, tearing at their throats with razor sharp claws. He was especially amused by the hardened warriors reactions of horror.

It took a moment, but soon Anton's controls confirmed his other servants were dead.. "This was a test, you see," he told them conversationally, "and it seems this new combat type hasn't worked out. Well, I guess it's back to the drawing board." He flipped the switch to kill his final servant, but left the video feed on to watch their reactions.

Sadly, the aftermath was quite predestrian. David took control and claimed it was all a terrorist attack. That offended Anton on principle, this wasn't terrorism! It was SCIENCE! Anyway, it looked like the event would be contained nicely, and the police were willing to go along with it.

When Zanatos started talking about sending the mutate bodies to be examined, Anton reluctantly cut the video feed. A second signal then burnt out all the cybernetics, hopefully making the technology useless for forensic purposes.

"Ah, that was fun," Anton mused as he got up and stretched.

There was always a surge of excitement in launching a new experiment, and today's had been quite successful. Yes, he hadn't been able to get new samples for his experiments from the city's elite, but he had determined the capabilities of his new mutates. And even better, he had full video of the battle to review later.

Anton walked out of his control room, passing the cloning tubes where his next batch of mutates were growing. Back in the day he had just kidnapped homeless people and changed them, but that complicated things. They had all those pesky memories of their old lives, refused to obey and were generally troublesome. Plus, the police occassionally came looking for the homeless, which was also annoying. Clones, clearly, were the way to go.

The engineering lab was nearby, where he tinkered together the technology he aquired from his allies at Cyberbiotics. Renard, the president, would clearly disapprove of the uses his technology was being put to, but Preston Vogel saw the uses of enhanced soldiers. He was clearly frightened of the Gargoyles avenging themselves on him for past sins. Not that Anton actually intended to save Preston, but letting him think that got Anton such wonderful toys.

Anton hefted the massive cybernetic claw that came in the last shipment and murmured, "I wonder who I should use this on?"

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Night had fallen over New York, and with it the gargoyles had awakened. And prdictably, Goliath was going batshit.

"WHERE IS HE?" Goliath roared, his wings outstretched dramatically "When I find Sevarius I will..."

"Oh would you calm down?" Demona finally growled, tired of his histronics. "We don't even know if he was really behind the attack."

The informal council of war on top of the castle included David Xanatos and Macbeth, while Fox was off taking care of her son. Elisa was also there, while Bluestone worked to cover the police side of the situation.

"It certainly sounded like dear Anton," David said dryly.

"True enough," Demona conceded, "but his interests are either in pure science or profit. Does this attack fit either of those?"

"You think he was hired to attack the party?" Elisa asked them thoughtfully, the woman hanging close to Goliath. Probably not to protect herself but to calm him down, which Demona found funny, if a bit sad too.

"Hrm," Goliath scowled.

Demona puffed out a sigh of relief. Not that she really believed that theory, but she wanted to head off having a enraged Goliath tearing up the city. The gargoyles were only tentatively accepted by the people so far, and a rampaging gargoyle would not help matters much.

"Even if he was just hired, we need to find him," Macbeth said gruffly. At the others questioning looks he said, "I do not appreciate being attacked. Even if he is not my personal enemy, I do not intend to let this pass."

"We'll be happy to have the help," David welcomed him.

"Even if it wasn't his idea," Goliath grumbled, "we need to find him."

Demona nodded slightly, "Yes, that is true."

David made a face "The mutates were turned over to the police," he admitted then looked at Elisa, "Maza, what chances do you think you'll have tracking them back?"

"Some," Elisa said after a moment. "Sevarius has to be getting certain resources to do what he does. Massive medical purchases or thefts should be traceable."

"I have contacts in various areas," Macbeth said, "as do Xanatos and Demona." He looked thoughtful, "Should we approach Reynard?"

"I think Daddy would love to help," Fox noted as she came out onto the balcony with them. She went over to David, kissed his cheek and murmured, "Alexander is fine. Owen tells me none of the creatures even tried to get near them."

"Good," David nodded.

Demona nodded, "Maza, send me a list at Nightstone if you need our assistance." She turned towards the edge of the balcony, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go."

"Is there something more urgent than determining who attacked us?" Goliath asked flatly.

"Yes," Demona answered without turning around, "to make sure the ones you protected are safe." And with that she launched herself into the night.

The wind whipped around them as Elisa watched her fly off. "You know, I'm really starting to believe she's changed," she mused.

"We will see," Goliath said darkly.

Demona caught updrafts and soared between the buildings of the city away from the castle. Taking off from that height had given her lots of altitude to play with, and she didn't need to land or jump from building to building to reach her destination.

The lights were still on in Alicia's apartment, and looking through the window Demona could see the young woman sitting on her couch in a robe, probably watching TV. The girl looked sad, her eyes dark with worry, and Demona ached to go over and try to take that pain away.

And worse, Demona felt a pang of guilt at sending Alicia home like she had. Sunset and her transformation were coming, so she had ignored Alicia's protests she could help and ordered a police officer to take her home. Had that been a look of betrayal as Alicia was driven off? Had she wounded their deepening friendship tonight?

Distracted by her thoughts Demona didn't see Alicia get up, walking over to the window to look up at her in wonder. She hesitated then opened the window, Alicia smiling up at Demona hopefully then waving her arm.

Demona knew it was a bad idea to see Alicia right now. She had a lot of explaining to do tomorrow as Dominique, including how she knew to use a sword so well. Confusing herself even more about Alicia was a mistake, yet almost without thinking about it she took off, gliding down to land on Alicia's balcony.

"I heard you had some trouble," Demona said after a moment, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help."

Alicia just hugged her, the smaller woman grabbing on tightly. "I was so scared...," she stammered, then burst into tears.

Demona froze in surprise, then let her arms wrap around her like she would a gargoyle child. "There there," she murmured as she let Alicia cry herself out.

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 13

Day and Night

Thirteen

The next day at her company, Nightstone, Dominique Destine was slightly apologetic as she greeted Alicia. "Are you all right," she asked gently, "I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to see you after the attack."

"No, no, it's fine," Alicia said sheepishly, "I know how crazy things were."

Demona hated having to lie to the girl, but she knew she had to keep her existence as a gargoyle a secret. Both for her own sake, and for the others of her kind. "It took quite a while to get the police interviews done, and by the time I left I figured you were in bed," she added.

"Yes, I got home after one of the nice police escorted me home," Alicia said, then she smiled faintly in memory.

Demona wondered if Alicia was thinking of their meeting last night, She had gone over to Alicia's in her gargoyle form, intending just to check up on her. When alicia waved to her she had soared down to enter the girl's home, and had comforted Alicia when she burst into tears. It had felt very good, holding the smaller woman, much like she imagined holding her daughter might have felt like...

Alicia leaned forward as she asked curiously, "Where did you learn to use a sword like that? Watching you fight those monsters was incredible."

"Well, it's a bit embarassing," Dominique admitted, "but I used to do what they call live action role playing. I picked up a lot of sword fighting experience then, but I moved and haven't found another group locally."

Alicia gave her a odd look, as if she was trying to imagine the sleekly dressed businesswoman waving a fake sword, but she seemed to accept it. "Well, this came in by courier," she changed the subject as she passed the documents over.

"Thank you," Dominique was back to being all business as she studied a contract for a series of Gargoyles plush toys. "You're kidding me," the beautiful redhead said, looking at her assistant.

"The Gargoyles are becoming quite popular in the city," Alicia noted, the attractive blond looking amused, "especially Demona. Have you seem the t-shirts being sold on street corners?"

"No," Dominique admitted.

"There's one that says, 'I got rescued by a Gargoyle and all I got was this lousy t-shirt,' it's quite popular," Alicia smirked, "I also saw one that said Stay Calm and Trust Gargoyles."

Dominique laughed, shaking her head. "Well, I copyrighted the image of Gargoyles several years back," she admitted, "but more because I wanted to make sure no one exploited them."

"True, but we could always donate profits to charities if you feel it's needed," Alicia offered reasonably, "or to the Gargoyles themselves."

"True," Dominique conceded. She frowned slightly, "I understand Xanatos has some contact with the Gargoyles, I'll ask him to put me in touch." She shrugged, "I don't feel comfortable starting something like this without their consent." What she would actually do was go ask Goliath in person, but she couldn't tell Alicia that.

"That makes sense," Alicia agreed.

Work dragged on after that, with various project crossing Dominique's desk. Nightstone had fingers in genetic engineering, robotics, entertainment and other businesses, and all of it crossed her desk at one time or another. While the heads of each department were capable, some decisions had to be made by Dominique herself.

"Ugh," Dominique sighed as she stretched.

"It's not that bad, is it ma'am?" Alicia teased.

"Oh, it's bad enough," Dominique complained. "I really need to delegate more," she conceded with a sigh.

"Well we're just about done," she said as Alicia double checked her PDA. "And you have a hour clear if you want a break."

"Lunch?" Dominique asked curiously, knowing the young lady probably hadn't eaten either.

A warm smile appeared on Alicia's face as she said, "I'd love to."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Anthony 'Tony' Dracon wasn't a nice man, but as he took a sledge hammer and smashed the man's leg, he decided it was good to be bad. "Arrgh!" the man howled in pain as he writhed on the floor, blood splurting from gashes in his leg.

"Now," he casually leaned on the hammer as Tony said, "we've talked about this. You do NOT skim off money from my cut of the drugs. It's just not good business."

The wounded man broke down in sobs as he was hauled up. "Please, I'm sorry, so sorry..." he begged weakly.

Tony was tempted to just kill him, but that wouldn't really help him in the long term. "I won't kill you," he said, "but this is your last warning. Do NOT fuck with me again, or you'll wish I was just working you over with the hammer."

"Thank you, oh god," the sobbing drug dealer babbled as he was carried off to get medical aid.

Casually Tony turned to his two guests, who were watching with interest. "Well," he said, "I have to admit, you'd make good muscle."

Hyena and Jackal, two cyborgs formerly part of the Pack, faced him calmly. The two siblings had sacrificed much of their physical humanity for power, replacing arms and legs for deadly cybernetic weapons. Jackal had replaced one eye with a cybernetic replacement, and Hyena was considering further changes too.

"Muscle is suck a crude term," Jackal noted, "I rather like to think of us as problem solvers."

"Yeah, someone's a problem to you, we'll solve it," Hyena said with a smirk.

Tony really wasn't sure what to make of Hyena, especially. She flirted with everyone, even with her cybernetic chassis, and seemed blatantly sexual. Yet there was also the way she seemed way too close to her brother too. Odd, odd people.

"It took some doing getting you bailed out after that botched kidnapping," Tony added, "you two owe me bigtime."

Neither looked terribly happy about that, but they accepted it. "What, exactly, did you want us for?" Hyena demanded.

"As you can see I'm a business man, and normally I am very good at taking care of business," Tony told them, "but recently I'm having some problems."

"Oh?" Jackal drawled.

"Those damn Gargoyles are interfereing with my operation," Tony said, "it's gotten to the point I need to take steps."

"You want us to kill 'em?" Hyena asked eagerly. She paused as she conceded, "We'd need some back up but..."

"No, no killin'," Tony told them, surprising the two. "The minute you kill a cop, the rest of them come down on you twice as hard."

Jackal looked faintly disappointed as he asked, "So what DO you want us to do?"

"Distract 'em," Tony said with a sly smile. "I'll pay you to keep the cops and Gargoyles busy on nights where I need my businesses uninterupted. In return I'll pay well and bail you out if needed."

"Sounds interesting," Hyena conceded after a moment's thought.

Jackal nodded slightly too, "It does at that." He looked thoughtful, "We'll need guarentees from you that we'll get bailed out if we tangle with them, of course."

"I'll set up a fund with a lawyer I do business with," Tony said with a nod.

"If we're going to tangle with the gargoyles we'll need help," Jackal added. "The two of us are formidable, but not THAT powerful."

"We need the Pack!" Hyena agreed eagerly.

Tony sighed as his basic distraction plan just got a lot more expensive.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Alicia Sevarius was practically skipping down the street as she headed out from her home to do a bit of shopping. Lunch with Dominique had been so fun, and they had chatted and ate for nearly a hour. She thought she was really getting close to her boss, seeing underneath the cool exterior.

And last night! Watching Dominique using a sword fighting off her Uncle's creations was incredible. It had been like being in a movie, almost. Dominique had been like... well, poetry in motion was overused, but it was the best description Alicia could come up with. She had been ferrocious and beautiful, in equal parts.

'I wonder if she was really into role playing like she said?' Alicia wondered as she went into the small supermarket. She wasn't sure she believed it, but it DID make for a hilarious mental image. Dominique running around a field in fake armor and a toy sword? It made her giggle just imagining it.

Not far away Terry Cheung shadowed the young woman, the private investigator carefully keeping some distance. He had been hired by Lennox Macduff to investigate both Nightstone and the young lady, but he had been recently fired. Adverse to seeing his efforts go to waste he was carrying on, looking for something he could use.

The life of a private investigator wasn't as exciting as some thought. More often than not Terry made his money with scandleous photos or stuff sent to the tabloids. With the high profile Nightstone had lately, he figured he might make some money off them.

Sadly so far he hadn't found much. Both Alicia and Dominique seemed to live pretty much clean lives. Dominique didn't even go out at night, and rarely attended events in the city. There were a few rumours about what happened to her last assistant, Robyn Something, but he couldn't turn up anything on it either.

So, he was out here tailing the current assistant. Who, frankly, was also pretty boring. Went to work, drove home in company car, didn't get out much. Pretty soon he was gonna have to give up the whole deal and try his hand at some other case. Maybe he could get into the search for good photos of those Gargoyles?

Terry was so preoccupied with his thoughts as he was following Alicia that he didn't keep an eye on his own safety. As he was passing a darkened alley a hand reached out from the darkness, grabbing him and yanking him into the shadows.

"What the...?" Terry started, then froze as he got a good look at what had him.

She was taller than him, with bright red hair and glowing eyes. The gargoyle held him off the ground with frightening ease, and her expression was NOT friendly. "Why are you following her?" she demanded coldly, "Planning a mugging?"

"No, no!" Terry yelped even as he wished he had his camera ready. "I'm just a private eye!" he continued desperately.

The gargoyle scowled, and Terry realized that saying he was a PI might not have been the best move. "Do not trouble this young woman," she ordered dangerously, "or you will regret it."

She tossed him aside hard enough to daze him, then Terry watched her clamber up the wall and glide off into the night. As he sat there, stunned, he thought, 'This case might be interesting after all...'

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 14

Day and Night

Fourteen

Eliza Maza was working hard, frowning intently as she studied the supplies list that Sevarius would probably need. It was a LONG list, and a very exotic one. That was good, in theory, since it narrowed the number of people who could possibly have the stuff. Annoyingly, there were more people than she expected to be asking for this stuff.

Matt Bluestone was looking over his shoulder, the other officer rather intrigued. "There's how many companies who order this stuff?"

"Yup," Eliza sighed.

There was Xanatos' company, Cyberbiotics, Canmore Enterprises, and several other science houses were working with some of the same technology. The cybernetics were alsi apparently a dead end, considering the booming trade in illegal enhancements.

"I knew cybernetics smuggling was increasing, but not this much," Matt noted.

"The FBI has marked it as their number one priority," Eliza noted. "Aparently gangsters are starting to get this sort of boost to take on their rivals."

"Think the Gargoyles might be a factor?" Matt asked calmly, no trace of judgement in his voice.

"Probably," Eliza admitted reluctantly. Say what you will, having superhumanly strong Gargoyles swooping down on you is going to make you want to upgrade. And that would probably mean they'd have to upgrade the police's gear too.

"Well," Matt said, "we're going to have to try to cut off the supplies some how."

"I know you hate going to him, but see if you can hit up your FBI guy Hacker," Eliza noted, "maybe we can get some new leads."

"Will do," Matt agreed, though he didn't sound happy about it.

With that Eliza sighed and dialed a number she didn't want to dial. On the other hand, she HAD promised to keep her informed. The phone rang, then was almost immediately picked up, "Nightstone Enterprises, Demonique Destine's office. This is Alicia Sevarius, how can I help you?"

"Alicia, this is Officer Eliza Maza, NYPD," she introduced herself briskly, not sure if the woman remembered their earlier meeting, "could I speak with Mrs Destine?"

"Officer Maza, she left instructions for you to be put right through," Alicia said, the tome of her voice implying this was a great honor.

Eliza had to fight back a smile as she was transferred. Clearly the kid held Demona in pretty high esteem. And who knows, maybe it was justified. Certainly Demona seemed to be changing from how she had once been.

"Maza," Dominique replied briskly, then softened a bit as she asked, "Is this a emergency? Does... he need my help?"

'Is she really worried about the clan?' Eliza noted mentally. Aloud she said, "No, everything is fine. So far, anyway."

"Good," Dominique said with a sigh. Somewhat more briskly she asked, "What can I do for you?"

"I've got a list of major and minor companies that could have created those mutates," Eliza told her, "but I can't seem to narrow it down much. You mentioned you might have some resources to offer?"

"I can make a few suggestions," Dominique admitted, "and I have access to some rather exotic databases, over the years. Email me what you have, I'll crunch the numbers then bounce it back to you in a day or so."

Eliza hesitated, but frankly most of what she had was public information anyway. "Will do," she agreed, got her mail address then sent it off.

"I would also suggest contacting Macbeth," Dominique said a bit reluctantly, "he's more plugged into the mercenary side than I am, and might have leads as well."

"You think Sevarius used mercenaries?" Eliza asked, quietly hoping that the creatures hadn't once been men.

"I hope not," Dominique admitted, "but the mercenaries are buying cybernetics and bio augmentations. So they might, in turn, turn to someone like Sevarius, or at least give information on the possible sources."

"Sounds like a lead," Eliza brightened, "thank you."

"You're welcome," Dominique said dryly. "Good luck," she added.

Hanging up Eliza sat back, then nodded to herself. Yup, Demona seemed to have changed over time. Or at least she seemed more helpful. What that meant for her was harder to say, since she expected Demona still hated her guts.

Eliza picked up the phone, dialing again. This time she didn't reach Macbeth, instead leaving a message for him to call her back. With that she got up, walking over to the chief's door and tapping on the doorframe.

"Maza," Maria Chavez nodded politely. "Any progress on the mutate attack?"

"So far I'm eliminating possibilities," Eliza admitted. "I've asked Matt to call his FBI contact, will that be a problem?"

"As long as they don't rush in and try to steal the case," Maria shrugged.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The daylight meant that the gargoyles slept, but there were always other things going on in the city. The news coverage of the attack on Xanatos' part continued, with reporters drooling over security footage that had been leaked mysteriously.

(Not that mysteriously, really. Fox and David had leaked the footage themselves. You couldn't GET better public relations than the hosts and two of their friends, at a party, fighting off a invasion of beast men. The publically owned stock in the company soared immediately after the film was released, and looked to stay there awhile.)

There were a few reporters who even thought Xanatos had stages it all himself. Which was perceptive of them, since at least at one time he might have actually done that. Still, there was no way he'd pull something this clumsy. It lacked... style.

Still, most of the news coverage had been very positive. Dominique Destine was also getting fans, which rather amused him. Considering her long time hatred of humanity, being beloved by humans was pleasantly ironic. There was even fan-art cropping up, with her dressed as various action heroines.

"David, stop trolling the fan sites," Fox noted as she walked in, carrying Alexander.

"But it's so fun," David laughed as he took his son in his arms and cradled him gently. It felt so good, holding the baby... how had he ever managed without this?

Fox snickered s she watched her husband coo at the baby. He was so cute... both of them. She leaned on the edge of his desk as she noted, "Looks like one of my ghosts is back to haunt us."

David looked up, frowning slightly. "Oh?" he asked.

"Looks like Hyena and Jackal are reforming the Pack, this time as a mercenary squad," Fox said, shaking her head in annoyance.

David grunted in annoyance. "I rather wish I had taken steps with them earlier," he admitted, "but they've been annoyingly useful at times."

"True, and they were friends of mine... of a sort," Fox agreed. "I can pass some information onto Maza, but I don't have much more specific than rumours."

"I can't say I like them running around with my augmentations in them still, too," David sighed.

A few years back David had, via a Coyote robot, helped to upgrade the Pack via biotech and cyborg augmentations. While on the surface the plan had failed, he had gotten what he wanted out of it. Still, it was now looking more like a bad call.

"They've had some black market work done too, including pulling the tracking devices," Fox added apologetically.

"Pretty much what I expected," David agreed. Still cradling his child he looked out the window at the city. "Could we help track them down?"

"Infiltrate the group?" Fox guessed. "We'd need a agent that they absolutely would not recognize or suspect. Not a easy task."

"The robotics department has finished the latest Coyote upgrade," David suggested. "Urban infiltrator, combat programming and other traits. With a false background it might be worth a shot."

"Why not?" Fox agreed.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Finding new Pack members was both easier and harder than Jackal had expected. Easier because New York had a fairly large mercenary community, harder because they also had to be willing to go with the whole animal theme thing.

Still, they already had found a new Wolf, a big bruiser who would serve as muscle pretty well. He also was a surprisingly cool customer, which might pay off later. Jackal knew he and his sister were excitable types, after all.

A woman had also volunteered to be Fox, but Jackal wasn't sure it was such a good idea to replace her. The original Fox was NOT someone he wanted to piss off, after all.

Coyote was also someone he worried about. The new Coyote was a thief, VERY well known in NYPD circles. He'd make a valuable addition, but Jackal wasn't sure if he was really the Coyote Robot in disguise. Especially since he knew the robot could change shape, now.

"I still think we need at least five members," Hyena laughed as she added, "as it is we'll be outnumbered. I don't want it any worse."

"True enough, sister dear," Jackal agreed.

She came in a hour later, and there was something about her that drew the eye. She was tal, nearly six foot, and while curvy had plenty of muscle. She moved gracefully, like a jungle cat, and her long brown hair flowed smoothly down her back.

"Who do you think you are?" Hyena challenged.

"I was thinking Panther," the newcomer smirked.

"We don't do cats," Hyena scoffed.

"You don't do victory much either," Panther shot back.\\

"Why you," Hyena growled, lunging at her. But Panther was damn quick, deflecting a claw strike and then hammering a punch into the other woman's breadbasket. When she staggered back Panther followed up with a thrust to the face, drawing blood and stunning her.

"Nice," Jackal noted as he helped up and restrained Hyena. "You want a job?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Panther smirked.

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15

Day and Night

Fifteen

Anton looked at the man floating in the tube, smiling coldly. Tony Cheung had approached him with footage and information about his niece. What a fool. He wasn't interested in buying such data, and anyway he didn't want someone close to him being spied on. Instead he had drugged the man, and now intended to use him as a test subject.

Humming to himself Anton walked by other tubes, where other experiments were floating. He frowned as he noticed the new Gargoyle clone was developing a clubbed foot, and sighed. Gargoyle DNA was SO finicky! He hit a switch, releasing powerful acid into the tube and calmly watching the creature dissolve.

He shouldn't be surprised, really. Gargoyles had evolved along completely different lines than other terrestrial life forms, it was no wonder their DNA was difficult to work with. Yes, Anton had some success with cloning Goliath but looking back at it he wondered if it hadn't been first time lucky. His later attempts had all had problems of one type or another.

That was why he had decided to branch out into animal hybrids, really. You could reliably graft cat DNA into a human and get a furred, inhuman fighting machine. YES they tended to go mad, refuse to eat, starve and die, but that was all finicky details. The theory was sound. And using mindless, conditioned clones helped solve the 'go mad and die' problem too.

Anton walked by his other experiments. A armored, armadillo-like man floated in one tube. A bird winged man floated serently in another. And a subject was on the table as his automated systems attached a robotic arm and claws to it. All were progressing normally.

AS he walked he considered another issue. Money, sadly, was a problem. Science was a cruel mistress, and equipment cost money. He had nearly exhausted his funds from previous employments by Xanatos, Demona and Thailog, and he needed to acquire more funds. A bank robbery was a thought, but it was so MESSY. And honestly he wasn't sure if his experiments were up to it.

On the other hand, there was the offer from Anthony 'Tony' Dracon. The gangster had put out feelers about having his troops enhanced, either cybernetically or via biological enhancements. It was kind of... tacky to put his science to that kind of use, Anton thought, but bills were bills. He wouldn't allow them in his main lab, but he had a back up lab where he could work on them, maybe...

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Are you sure we should get into bed with someone like Sevarius?" Hyena asked skeptically as they moved through the tunnel beneath New York.

Jackal raised his eyebrow, "He is briliant."

"And if you look up Mad Scientist there;s a picture of him," Hyena said dryly.

Wolf, Coyote and Panther followed, all three looking rather thoughtful at the discussion. Wolf was a tall, blond haired man, one of those rugged types who could be anywhere from thirty to fifty and would always look the same. His blue eyes were amused looking, but also faintly cold.

Coyote was a younger man, in his twenties. He had a long rap sheet with the cops, known for being a safe cracker, white collar crook and confidence man. While not the most physically imposing, he had a tightly coiled energy about him. One expected him to be able to lunge at your throat at any moment.

Panther seemed to almost glide down the corridor, her long black hair swaying as she moved. She wasn't as muscular as Wolf, but she was damn strong and fast. She was also keeping a wary eye on Hyena, the two having not gotten off to the best start a few days ago. Oddly, Hyena seemed to have dropped their earlier animosity, though Panther wasn't sure she trusted her. The woman was clearly missing a few nuts and bolts.

"So, he's going to turn us into cyborgs like you two?" Panther had to ask. Grimly she added, "I'm not sure I signed up for that."

"There will be other options," Jackal said casually, "but if we're crossing swords with Gargoyles you're gonna have to up your game."

"Wouldn't mind some armor or something," Wolf noted thoughtfully. "No offence to you two, but we gotta blend in too."

"It's a thought," Hyena conceded as they neared a heavy, armored door.

Without warning the door opened, and the beaming Sevarius stepped out with wide open arms. "Welcome, welcome!" he beamed, "New lab rats!"

"I ain't no lab rat," Coyote said quickly.

"Yes, yes, come in please," Sevarius said as he waved them inside. "This is a secondary lab, but I have all the equipment needed to upgrade you all."

"Secondary?" Panther noted as she looked around.

"If you think I'd take you to my primary lab, you're even crazier than I am," Sevarius noted cheerfully. The lab had piles of cybernetic parts, the incubation tubes for genetic modifications and other, unidentifiable pieces of gear scattered around.

"Funky," Wolf conceded as he too considered the lab. "Is there any way we could get a upgrade that wasn't exactly... obvious?" he asked.

"It would be a interesting challenge," Sevarius acknowledged cheerfully.

Coyote and Panther exchanged wary looks as Sevarius circled Wolf eagerly as he considered what to do with him. It was going to be a long day...

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Demona smiled as she let the wind fill her wings, carrying her over the city. Not long ago she had made sure that Alicia had made it home, and now was out on her usual patrol of the city. It was still slightly strange, patrolling like this. Not all that long ago she had been willing to kill most of humanity to preserve the Gargoyles... how things could change.

Across the city she flew, perching, climbing up buildings, then leaping off again to catch up-drafts. Demona could cross much of the city quickly, but she liked to take her time, enjoying her flight. It was one of the few things she wished she could do in daylight, but Puck's spell didn't allow for that. Too bad.

As Demona alighted on a building she paused, then leaped as she heard a muffled cry. Stretching her wings out she swiftly reached the alley, then pulled her wings in to rapidly plunge towards the ground.

"Come on, grab your end," the one man ordered as he dragged a woman along the street.

"She kicks!" the other man complained as he tried to get her flailing legs.

"Oh would you," the first bruiser started right as something dropped on them with a stunning crash.

Demona rose, her eyes glowing dangerously as she ordered, "Let her go and give up. Now."

"Oh crap," one man pulled out a boxy device and hit the switch.

Demona recognized the taser and dodged sideways, the charged strings zipping by her. She didn't THINK it could hurt her, but no reason to take chances. She closed with him and ripped the device out of his hand, tossing it aside.

The other man abandoned his victim, turning and running towards his car. Demona slammed the first man against a wall, stunning him, then gave chase to the other. He ran fast but Demona was much faster, closing with him in a second or two, then grabbing him as she skidded to a halt.

"No!" he yelped, ripping free of his coat and dropping needles and other gear on the ground.

Demona side-stepped the junk and clouted him before he could escape, knocking him out with a single blow. She dragged him back to the other unconscious man, where the victim was looking on, stunned. "Are you all right?" Demona asked curiously, feeling a bit guilty she hadn't checked on the girl earlier.

"Oh wow," she breathed out, the black haired girl looking stunned.

Demona decided that probably meant she was fine. "Do you know why they tried to kidnap you?" she wondered as she trussed the men up in zip ties they had in their pockets.

"No, I was just walking down the street," the girl shook her head.

"Huh," Demona muttered thoughtfully. She found a phone on one of the men, phoned the police and told them where they were, then hung up. "Here," she tossed the phone to the girl, then nonchallently began to scale the wall.

"Oh, thank you!" the girl called as Demona climbed away.

Demona listened with some amusement as the girl began to curse and kick at her attackers, but decided not to stop her. It wasn't any of her business anyway. Reaching the roof Demona noted it was about a hour or so to dawn, and decided to head back home.

Later during the day, Nightstone enterprises was bustling as usual. Dominique Destine had already concluded a deal to purchase the rights to a company producing a improved tablet screen. She could leverage that to Cyberbiotics, providing a profit to both their companies.

Even better, Dominique and Alicia had managed to sneak off and have lunch together. There was something innocent about how much Alicia enjoyed her food, eating happily and with no self awareness. And she enjoyed talking to Alicia, even if she did fangirl over Demona a bit too much.

Returning to the office, however, meant bad news. "Could you repeat that?" Dominique asked after a moment.

"Lennox Macduff, ma'am," Alicia answered cautiously, "he's got no appointment, should I send him away?"

For a moment Dominique was amused by the mental image of her assistant sending the impressive Macbeth away, but decided it was a bad idea. "Send him in," she ordered instead.

Macbeth was dressed in a stylish suit and tie, and would by most be considered a handsome older gentleman. HOW old was what would trip most people up, Dominique knew. Still, he was smiling as he strode in, and was as relaxed as he ever got.

"Dominique, good to see you," Macbeth offered his hand.

"You too," Dominique agreed as she shook it, waiting for the door to shut. She pressed a concealed switch, locking the door and activating soundproofing, just in case. "What can I do for you, Macbeth?" she frowned.

Macbeth looked amused as he answered, "I'm bringing you bad news, of course. That always brightens my day."

Dominique had to fight back a smile. "What news?" she asked instead.

"Our old friends the Hunters have gotten free," Macbeth told her. "The two Canmores who had been arrested are freed, and it appears Jason is still skulking around too."

"Oh you have GOT to be kidding me," Dominique groaned. "How did they manage that?" she demanded.

"Robyn made a deal with the federal government, thought I don't know all the details," Macbeth admitted. "She got a clean slate and medical treatment for Jason."

"And the third brother, Jon?" Dominique asked.

"Underground. I'm gotten hints he plans to continue the Hunter's legacy, but exactly how I don't know," Macbeth told her. "Keep your guard up."

"Sevarius and the Hunters," Dominique sighed, "what else can go wrong?"

"You did hear about the Pack reforming, right?" Macbeth teased making her groan.

To be continued...

Notes: Yeah, kinda retconing something from the cartoon. Why didn't Sevarius make more Gargoyle clones? He HAD the DNA and such. So I'm assuming there were glitches in doing it more often.


End file.
